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OVERSHADOWED. 


A   NOVEIL 


BY 


SUTTON  E.  GRIGGS, 

AUTHOR    OR     "  I  MPERI  UM     IN      IMPERIO. 


NASHVILLE,  TENN.: 

THB   ORION   PUBLISHING   Co. 

1901. 


COPYRIGHTED 

SUTTON  E.  GBIGGS 
1901. 


DEDICA  TION. 

To  the  Memory  of 

ALBERTA, 

Who,  in  the  absence  of  this  her  oldest 

brother,  crossed  over  the  dark  stream,  smiling- 

as  she  went,   this  volume  is  most 

affectionately  dedicated  by 

THE  A  UTHOR. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 


The  task  assigned  to  the  Negroes  of  the 
United  States  is  unique  in  the  history  of  man- 
kind. 

He  whose  grandfather  was  a  savage  and 
whose  father  was  a  slave  has  been  bidden  to 
participate  in  a  highly  complex  civilization  on 
terms  of  equality  with  the  most  cultured,  ag- 
gressive and  virile  type  of  all  times,  the  Anglo- 
Saxon. 

The  stupendous  character  of  the  task  is  ap- 
parent when  it  is  called  to  mind  that  the  civili- 
zation in  which  they  are  to  work  out  their  re- 
spective destinies  is  fitted  to  the  nature  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon,  because  he  evolved  it ;  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  nature  of  the  Negro  must 
be  fitted  to  the  civilization,  thus  necessitating 
the  casting  aside  of  all  that  he  had  evolved. 

This  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  infant  child 
of  modern  civilization  to  keep  pace  with  the 
hale  and  hearty  parent  thereof,  has  served  to 
contribute  its  quota  of  tragedies  to  the  count- 
less myriads  that  have  been  enacted  under  the 
sun,  since  the  Cosmic  forces  first  broke  forth 

out  of   night   into   light,  and  began  their  up- 

(5) 


6  PREFACE. 

ward,  sightless,  or  shall  we  rather  say,  full 
visioned  tread  in  quest  of  the  "music  of  the 
spheres"  and  the  higher  purposes  of  the  GREAT 

BEJYOND. 

What  part  in  the  great  final  programme  these 
Cosmic  forces  have  assigned  to  the  attempt  of 
the  Negro  to  journey  by  the  side  of  the  white 
man,  none  are  yet  able  to  say,  the  situation 
being  still  in  process  of  unfoldment. 

While  we  watch  with  becoming  reverence 
and  muse  thereon,  we  catch  up  our  lyre  to  sing 
to  the  memory  of  those  slain  in  their  name,  if 
not  by  their  order. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I.     A  Girl  Perplexed 9 

II.     The  Cause  Revealed  but  not  Removed 15 

III.  Other  Actors 20 

IV.  A  L/ady  who  did  not  know  that  she  was 

a  L/ady 31 

V.     What  a  Kiss  Did 47 

VI.  Up  to  Date  Aristocracy  in  a  Negro  Church. .  55 

VII.     Rev.  Josiah  Nerve,  D.  D.  S 61 

VIII.     He  Narrowly  Escapes 73 

IX.     The  Pit  is  Dug- 82 

X.     The  Victims 91 

XI.     Murder 97 

XII.     The  Visit  of  a  Policeman 106 

XIII.  Backward,  then  Forward Ill 

XIV.  As  Least  Expected 116 

XV.     An  Awful  Resolve 124 

XVI.     A  Political  Trick 129 

XVII.     Paving  the  Way 139 

XVIII.     John  Wysong  Confesses 144 

XIX.     Added  Sorrows 147 

XX.     Speaker  L/anier 152 

XXI.     The  Hanging 160 

XXII.     Worse  than  Death 167 

XXIII.  Full  of  Joy 178 

XXIV.  Opposing-  the  Wedding 183 

XXV.     Erma  and  an  Assassin 191 

XXVI.     Name  the  Chapter  After  you  Read  It 197 

XXVII.  The  Funeral..  205 


PROEM. 


A  farmer  who  is  planting'  corn  in  a  fertile 
fieldj  halts  beneath  the  shade  of  a  huge  oak  to 
rest  at  noon. 

Accidentally  a  grain  of  corn  drops  from  his 
bag,  finds  lodgement  in  the  soil,  and  in  time  be- 
gins to  grow. 

The  grains  that  fell  in  the  field  will  have 
their,  difficulties  in  reaching  maturity. 

There  is  the  danger  of  too  much  water,  of 
the  drought,  of  the  coming  svorms. 

But  the  grain  that  came  to  life  under  the  oak 
has  its  peculiar  struggles. 

It  must  contend  for  sustenance  with  the 
roots  of  the  oak. 

It  must  wrestle  with  the  shade  of  the  oak. 

The  life  of  this  isolated  grain  of  corn  is  one 
continuous  tragedy. 

OVERSHADOWED  is  the  story  of  this  grain  of 
corn,  the  Anglo-Saxon  being  the  oak,  and  the 
Negro  the  plant  struggling  for  existence. 

To  be  true  to  life,  the  story  must  indeed  be  a 
sombre  one. 

So,  OVERSHADOWED  is  a  tragedy — a  story  of 
sorrow  and  suffering. 


PROEM. 

Yet  the  gloom  is  enlivened  by  the  presence 
of  a  heroic  figure,  a  beautiful,  noble  girl,  who 
stands  unabashed  in  the  presence  of  every  ill. 

OVERSHADOWED  does  not  point  the  way  out 
of  the  dungeon  which  it  describes,  but  it  clearly 
indicates  the  task  before  the  reformer  when  he 
comes. 

If  you  have  time  and  inclination  for  such  a 
recital — the  curtain  rises  and  the  play  begins. 


OVERSHADOWED. 

CHAPTER  I. 

A   GIRL,   PERPLEXED. 

To-and-fro,  to-and-fro,  with  hurried,  rest- 
less tread,  Erma  Wysong  walked  her  parlor 
floor,  forgetful  of  the  young-  man  who  sat  in  a 
corner  and  gazed  at  her,  with  all  of  his  powers 
of  sight  apparently  doing  double  duty.  Her 
hair,  slightly  coarse  of  thread,  glistening  as  if 
in  pride  of*  its  extreme  blackness,  was  combed 
away  from  a  brow  that  was  exceedingly  pretty 
and  formed  a  part  of  a  head  that  forewarned 
you  to  expect  the  possessor  thereof  to  have  an 
intellect  of  a  very  high  order.  A  few  unruly 
locks  of  her  glossy  hair  had  escaped  from  the 
grasp  confining  the  others  backward,  and  were 
hanging  forward  as  if  to  peep  into  her  tender 
brown  eyes  so  full  of  soul ;  or,  to  tantalize  a 
very  prettily  formed  nose  ;  or,  to  tempt  a  bite 
from  a  row  of  pearls  even  and  gleamingly 
white  ;  or,  to  nestle  upon  a  cheek  the  tenderness 
and  ruddiness  of  which  were  standing  invita- 
tions for  gentle  pressure. 

(9) 


10  OVERSHADOWED. 

Erma,  nearly  tall,  a  happy  medium  between 
the  plump  and  the  lithe,  the  perfection  of  sym- 
metry, her  whole  frame  a  series  of  divinely  fash- 
ioned curves,  paced  to  and  fro,  her  beautiful 
face  wearing  a  look  of  mental  perplexity.  First 
her  right  hand  and  then  her  left  tossed  back 
with  a  nervous  jerk  the  straying-  locks. 

Astral  Herndon,  a  tall  and  exceedingly  hand- 
some young1  man,  who  was  paying-  her  a  call, 
sat  in  an  armchair  in  a  corner  of  the  small 
room,  and,  with  body  bent  forward,  was  looking 
intently  at  Erma,  as  has  been  stated,  his  entire 
soul  ablaze  with  curiosity  to  know  what  had 
so  operated  upon  the  mind  of  the  erstwhile  win- 
some, laughing,  merry  Erma,  as  to  cause  her 
to  break  off  abruptly  an  ordinary  conversation 
and  beg-in  her  restless  journeying-s  to-and-fro 
across  her  parlor  floor,  vouchsafing-  to  him  not 
a  word  of  apology  or  explanation,  and  appar- 
ently oblivious  of  his  presence.  The  transition 
from  the  lively  gay  to  the  deathly  sad,  was  so 
quick,  so  queer,  so  utterly  inconsistent  with  all 
that  he  had  hitherto  known  of  Erma — it  was  so 
far  from  anything  warranted  by  the  rather 
commonplace  conversation  in  which  they  had 
been  engaged,  that  he  was  very  naturally  in 
the  depths  of  wonderland,  staring  with  all  his 
might.  He  saw  her  thin,  red  lips  quiver,  as  if 
with  deep  emotion.  He  saw  repressed  by  a 


OVERSHADOWED.  11 

would-be  secret  bite  of  the  lips,  an  entire  flood 
of  tears,  save  a  truant  one,  that  would  steal  its 
waj7  down  anyhow.  He  saw  a  clasping*,  a  grip- 
ing- of  the  hands  as  though  the  fair  one  was 
being  hurried  to  the  verge  of  despair.  He 
could,  as  it  were,  trace  in  her  actions  the 
progress  that  her  mind  was  making  toward  a 
precipice,  reluctant  to  go  and  yet  impelled  by 
some  irresistible  force. 

Astral  Herndon  sat  watching  her,  his  sur- 
prise and  curiosity  deepening  into  concern  and 
anxiety.  At  length,  when  he  could  bear  it  no 
longer,  he  arose  and  said  in  a  low,  sweet  voice 
that  trembled  with  emotion,  "Erma!"  Some- 
thing in  his  voice  went  straight  to  Erma's 
wandering  soul,  and,  as  though  not  of  herself, 
she  turned  slowly  around  and  mechanically' 
lifted  her  gaze  to  meet  the  dark,  glowing  eyes 
of  Astral  Herndon.  She  felt  her  soul  leave  her 
with  a  rush  and  run  to  embrace  a  mate  that 
was  coming  forth  from  the  eyes  before  her,  and 
she  cried,  "Oh  !  I  see  !  Oh  !  I  see  !  Oh  !  I  see  !" 
and  unconsciously  stretched  out  her  arms  to- 
ward Astral  as  if  to  receive  him.  Astral  ad- 
vanced toward  Erma,  but  this  movement  on  his 
part  broke  the  spell  and  she  shrank  away  from 
him  and  sat  down. 

Astral  was  now  more  mystified  than  ever. 
He  vaguely  felt  that  somehow  he  was  inter- 


12  OVERSHADOWED. 

mingled  with  Erma's  thoughts,  but  as  to  how 
it  had  come  about,  or  as  to  what  was  the  nature 
of  her  thoughts  regarding  him,  he  was  in  abso- 
lute ignorance.  Erma,  now  fully  conscious  of 
how  she  had  been  acting,  vainly  sought  to  re- 
deem herself  by  an  endeavor  to  conduct  an  an- 
imated conversation,  not  offering,  however,  to 
Astral  any  explanation  of  her  seeming  rudeness 
to  him.  But  after  a  heroic  struggle  to  keep  up 
the  conversation,  she  blurted  out,  all  of  a  sudden, 
"  Mr.  Herndon,  do  you  not,  can  you  not  see  that 
I  am  in  the  deepest  sort  of  trouble  ?  Why  do 
you  not  get  up  and  go  home?"  Saying  this, 
she  fell  to  sobbing  violently,  burying  her  face 
in  her  hands.  Astral  arose  and  got  his  hat  and 
went  on  tiptoe  to  the  door.  Just  before  he  went 
out,  he  cast  a  look  of  deepest  love  at  the  weep- 
ing girl.  If  he  had  only  gone  to  her  and  lifted 
her  to  a  resting  place  on  his  bosom — but  the 
UNSEEN  power  that  ordains  that  two  souls  shall 
journey  through  earth  together,  also  chooses, 
it  would  seem,  the  hallowed  spot ;  chooses  the 
precious  and  never  to  be  forgotten  moment 
when  soul  is  unveiled  to  soul ;  chooses  the  exact 
degree  of  the  development  that  shall  exist  in 
each  at  the  hour  of  the  mating. 

So,  the  UNSEEN  sent  Astral  forth  and  not  to 
Erma's  side.  As  he  stepped  out  upon  the  door- 
step, the  queen  of  the  night  wrapped  his  noble 
brow  with  her  silver  cords  in  wanton  playful- 


OVERSHADOWED.  13 

ness.  The  city  clock  was  striking*  the  hour  of 
ten,  rather  dolefully,  he  thought.  He  slowly 
wended  his  way  toward  his  home,  stopping 
ever  and  anon  to  cast  a  look  of  love,  mingled 
with  perplexity,  in  the  direction  of  Erma's 
residence.  k'  Strange,  sweet  girl,"  he  mur- 
mured softly  to  himself,  *'  I  thought  that  I 
knew  her."  Time  and  again  he  stopped,  and, 
looking  in  her  direction,  repeated  this  mono- 
logue. At  last  he  reached  home,  and  through- 
out the  sleepless  night  uttered  the  self-same 
words. 

As  for  Erma,  she  sat  in  the  exact  attitude  in 
which  he  left  her.  The  hours  of  the  night, 
aided  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  groped  their 
way  through  a  sleeping  world.  At  length  the 
birds,  ere  they  went  forth  in  quest  of  their  daily 
bread,  held  their  morning  praise  service,  as  if 
to  rebuke  the  prayerless  man.  Prom  their  lit- 
tle hearts  and  throats  quivering  with  joyous 
emotions,  they  told  the  God  of  the  sparrow 
how  glad  they  were  that  they  were  yet  allowed 
to  flit  about  in  his  glorious  world.  The  sun, 
remembering  his  many  unfinished  tasks  of  the 
previous  day,  and  suspicious  ever  of  the  work  of 
the  night,  came  bolting  upward  and  hurled  his 
myriad  pointed  spear  to  strike  down  the  morn- 
ing mists  that  sulkily  obscured  his  vision.  The 
awakened  world  came  rushing  forth  from  the 
land  of  sleep  and  dream. 


14  OVERSHADOWED. 

But  E}rma,  beautiful  morning-  glory,  bruised 
over  night  and  failing  to  respond  to  the  greet- 
ing kiss  of  the  returning  Sun,  began  the  per- 
formance of  her  duties,  perplexed  in  mind,  sad 
at  heart,  weary  from  much  thinking,  despond- 
ing of  a  solution  of  the  problems  that  fretted 
her  spirit. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  CAUSE  REVEALED  BUT  NOT  REMOVED. 

The  scene  of  the  opening-  of  our  story  was 
Richmond,  Va.,  the  far  famed  capital  of  the  ill- 
fated  Southern  Confederacy.  To  all  intents 
and  purposes,  Erma  Wysong  was  an  orphan. 
Her  mother,  a  Negro  woman,  was  now  dead, 
having-  passed  away  two  years  since.  Though 
her  parents  had  been  silent  on  the  subject, 
Erma  now  knew  from  the  color  of  her  skin  and 
the  texture  of  her  hair  that  her  father  must 
have  been  white.  As  to  who  he  was  or  where 
he  was,  whether  living1  or  dead,  she  did  not 
know,  and  had  no  means  of  ascertaining".  A 
few  years  after  Erma's  birth  her  mother  mar- 
ried a  very  worthy  Negro  man,  who  generously 
overlooked  the  previous  sin  of  his  wife,  never 
once  in  all  their  wedded  life  alluding-  to  it. 
Upon  a  foundation  of  repentance  and  forgive- 
ness  this  Negro  family,  like  unto  many  others, 
had  its  beginning*.  Unto  this  repentant  wife 
and  forgiving*  husband  a  son  was  born  whom 
they  named  John.  This  son,  now  about  eight- 
een years  of  age,  is  the  only  support  left  to 

Erma,     her    stepfather    having"    gone    to    his 

(15) 


16  OVERSHADOWED. 

grave  shortly  after  the  demise  of  his  wife.  So 
Erma  was  practically  an  orphan  girl,  alone  in 
the  world,  relying  for  support  and  protection 
upon  her  brother  John,  who  dearly  loved  his 
"Erm,"  as  he  called  her.  He  was  working  at 
the  machinist's  trade  in  the  Bilgal  Iron  Works 
of  Richmond,  Va.,  and  was  receiving  two  dol- 
lars and  a  half  per  day  ;  and  with  this  was  sup- 
porting himself  and  sister  and  laying-  by  money 
to  lift  the  remainder  of  the  mortgage  encumber- 
ing their  modest  little  home.  Erma  was  a  stu- 
dent of  exceptional  brightness  when  in  school 
and  had  been  graduated  at  an  early  age  from 
the  Richmond  Colored  High  School,  carrying 
off  the  highest  honors  of  her  class.  After 
graduating*  from  the  high  school  at  Richmond 
she  went  to  the  Tuskeg-ee  Industrial  Institute 
at  Tuskegee,  Alabama,  whence  she  was  re- 
called by  the  death  of  her  mother.  You  now 
have  her  history,  briefly  told,  up  to  the  time  of 
the  opening  of  our  story. 

Astral  Herndon  had  been  a  schoolmate  of 
hers  in  the  Richmond  public  schools,  graduat- 
ing in  the  class  immediately  preceding-  her  class. 
These  two  had  from  childhood,  a  fondness  for 
the  society  of  each  other,  though  for  a  long 
time  neither  Astral  nor  Erma  stopped  to  ana- 
lyze this  feeling-.  Astral  was  the  first  to 
awake  to  the  real  situation  as  it  concerned  him- 


OVERSHADOWED.  17 

self,  and  in  his  shy,  untutored  way  had  sought 
to  arouse  in  Erma  emotions  similar  to  his  own  ; 
but  she  did  not  understand  life  as  yet,  (for  a 
knowledge  of  love  is  a  knowledge  of  life)  and 
Astral  remained  the  same  "  Astry  "  to  her. 

Astral  finally  decided  that  his  constant  asso- 
ciation with  Erma  ever  since  childhood  was  a 
bar  to  his  progress  toward  winning  her  love, 
and  he  had  decided  to  go  away  and  spend  a 
number  of  }7ears  in  school,  free  from  Erma's  no- 
tice. He  had  determined  to  obtain  a  thorough 
college  education  and  return  to  woo  as  a  com- 
parative stranger,  the  heart  of  Erma.  In  the 
midst  of  an  ordinary  conversation  he  had  men- 
tioned to  Erma  his  proposed  going  away,  and 
the  rude  shock  had  awakened  the  sleeping  love 
of  her  heart.  Not  knowing  the  meaning  of  that 
strange  fire  in  her  bosom,  she  leaped  to  her  feet 
and  began  her  restless  journeying  with  which 
we  found  her  engaged  in  our  opening  chapter. 
Her  mind  kept  saying,  "Astral,  going  away  ! 
He  will  be  a  college  graduate  !  He  will  be  a 
learned  man  !  He  will  be  far  above  me  when  he 
conies  back  !  He  may  not  come  back  at  all ! 
But  what  difference  does  it  all  make  to  me?" 
Over  and  over  she  revolved  these  thoughts  in  her 
mind,  her  perplexity  growing  deeper  and  deeper 
and  her  heart  aching  more  and  more.  When 
Astral  called  her  and  she  looked  into  his  eyes, 

2 


1 8  OVERSHADOWED. 

she  stood  revealed  to  herself;  her  love  had  broken 
its  chrysalis.      "  But  what  of  Astral  !     Does  he 
love  me?  "    she  asked  herself  and  shrank  away 
from  him  instinctively.     She  did  not  wish    for 
him  to  come  to  her    again  as  the    Astral  of  old. 
Her  soul  craving-  for  solitude  to  contemplate  its 
new  found    joy,    and   fearful  of    giving-  its  pre- 
cious secret  away  too  soon,   she  dismissed  As- 
tral.    When  he  was  gx>ne,  Cupid  went  busily  to 
work  in  her  mind,  weaving-  a  web,  every  cord  of 
which  was  a  string-  from  her  heart — a  web  to 
catch  and  hold  fast  her  soul's  one  mate.     These 
thing's  were  certain:  Astral  was  g-oing-    away, 
would  advance  in  studies,  would  occupy  a  more 
exalted    station  in  life    than  she.     It  was   her 
task  to  maintain  an  equality  of  station  between 
them  ;  how  she  was  to  do  it  was  the  great  ques- 
tion, she  being-  a  moneyless  orphan.     But,  hav- 
ing- discovered  the  full  extent  that  her  very  ex- 
istence was  wrapped  up  in  Astral,  she  was  de- 
termined to  surmount  all  obstacles  of  whatever 
nature — determined  to  find  a  way  to  keep  pace 
with  him  in  training-,  to  prepare  ever  for    com- 
panionship with  him,  to  hold  herself  throug-h 
all  the  years  of  waiting-,  pure,  noble,  undefiled, 
a  worthy  queen  for  her  glorious  king- — her  As- 
tral! 

She  knew  that  she  would  never  openly  seek 
his  love  ;  never  knowingly    reveal  her  passion  ; 


OVERSHADOWED.  19 

but  Love  ever  feels  that  he  has  the  right  of 
way  through  the  earth  ;  that  all  thing's  will 
move  at  his  beck  and  call  ;  and  Erma  firmly 
trusted  this  subtle  might  of  Love  to  accompany 
Astral  on  his  long  journey,  and  doubted  not  but 
that  it  would  bring  him  back  to  her. 

Satisfied  on  that  score,  Erma  undertook  the 
task  of  self-improvement.  Poor,  poor  girl  ! 
Could  she  have  caught  sight  of  the  large,  the 
cruel,  the  unfeeling  thorns  in  her  pathway ; 
could  she  have  felt  for  a  brief  instant  but  a 
small  fraction  of  the  mountain-like  burden  or- 
dained for  her  shoulders  ;  could  she  have  but 
dipped  her  tongue  into  the  bitter  gall  poured 
out  for  her  ;  could  she  have  but  dreamed  of  the 
nameless  sorrows  that  were  to  plow  wide  fur- 
rows in  her  storm-swept  and  tempest-driven 
soul,  how  she  would  have  trembled  and  shiv- 
ered and  groaned  at  the  awful  prospect  before 
her.  Yet,  being  a  woman  and  being  in  love, 
she  would  have  gone  forth  just  the  same, 
foreseeing  all.  Wonder  not  that  God  refused 
to  make  woman  out  of  dust. 

If  3"ou  can  so  master  your  feelings  as  to  be  a 
spectator  to  a  fight  between  a  poor,  beautiful, 
motherless  Negro  maiden  and  an  array  of  foes 
that  would  warrant  Michael  in  sending  for  rein- 
forcements before  giving  battle,  we  can  safely 
ask  you  to  follow  our  narrative. 


CHAPTER  III. 

OTHER   ACTORS. 

'  Two  g-iants,  clad  in  the  full  panoply  of  war, 
have  met  and  are  battling*  with  each  other  for  a 
kingdom.  The  struggle,  while"  "fierce,  fast  and 
furious,  is  conducted  with  infinite  wariness  on 
the  part  of  each  combatant,  for  previous 
battles  between  these  foemen,  fought  with 
varying  successes  in  every  clime  of  earth,  have 
taught  them  to  respect  the  skill  and  prowess  of 
each  other. 

The  domain  for  which  these  two  g-iants  are 
battling-  is  the  mind  of  a  young-  white  man  of 
high  social  standing*,  a  member  of  a  family  of 
great  renown.  The  name  of  one  giant  is  "Love 
of  self,"  and  of  the  other,  "Love  of  others,"  or 
Eg-oism  and  Altruism,  respectively.  The  battle 
has  been  raging-  for  many  months  and  is  now 
entering-  upon  its  final  stag-es. 

The  door  of  the  young-  man's  room  is  locked, 
the  window  shutters  closed,  the  curtains  drawn. 
He  is  sitting-  in  a  chair  in  a  sprawling-  attitude, 
his  chin  resting-  upon  his  bosom,  his  hat  pulled 
low  over  his  brow,  his  eyes  closed,  his  hands 
clasped  behind  his  head,  a  pained  expression 

(20) 


OVERSHADOWED.  21 

upon  his  handsome  face.  One  hand  slowly  de- 
scends to  his  vest  pocket,  from  which  he  ex- 
tracts a  richly  bejewelled  watch. 

"  Only  nine  o'clock.  The  night  is  young  yet. 
Three  full  hours  more  of  this  agony  !  Then  I 
must  act.  Well,  let  me  employ  the  intervening- 
time  in  a  full  review  of  the  case." 

So  saying,  he  began  the  following  soliloquy: 

"Beauty  of  face,  of  form,  of  mind,  when 
found  in  woman,  exact  homage  of  all  men. 
That  woman,  whose  peculiar  combination  of  the 
attributes  of  loveliness,  pleases  a  man's  inher- 
ent taste  in  a  manner  such  as  no  other  can — that 
woman,  becomes  his  queen. 

"I  have  met  the  queen  of  my  heart,  but  I 
dare  not  breathe  her  name  into  mortal  ear  !  I 
dare  not  !  I  dare  not !  It  is  not  because  I 
think  her  charms  open  to  debate  that  I  thus 
guard  her  name.  .  No,  no,  no  !  None  can  gain- 
say those  eyes,  so  full  of  soul ;  none  that  grace 
of  carriage  ;  none  that  beautiful  form,  granted 
by  mother  nature  in  a  moment  of  unwonted 
happiness.  But,  she  is  only  one-half  Caucasian  ! 

"  That  does  not  grate  so  harshly  on  my  ear  ! 
I  find  it  in  my  heart  to  ignore  that  fact  alto- 
gether, so  I  do,  sol  do..  If  left  to  myself — now, 
let  only  God,  my  Creator,  hear  what  I  have  to 
say — if  left  to  myself,  I  would  marry  that  girl 
and  count  myself  highly  favored  of  Heaven  for 
the  privilege. 


22  OVERSHADOWED. 

"But  society  tells  me  I  shall  not  marry  her  ! 
On  what  do  they  base  their  objections?  Not,  I 
am  sure,  upon  the  emotions  of  this  tumultuous 
heart  of  mine,  for  every  heart  throb  is  a  cry  of 
love.  Why,  then,  may  I  not  claim  her  for  my 
own?  'For  the  benefit  of  the  species,'  they 
say,  *  We  must  preserve  our  racial  identity. 
There  must  be  no  mesalliance.  Our  own  glory, 
the  cause  of  civilization,  the  good  of  the  world, 
demands  that  Anglo-Saxon  blood  be  not  con- 
taminated with  the  blood  of  inferior  races.' 
This  is  the  social  dictum.  Do  you  see  how  that 
I,  the  individual,  am .  left  out  of  that  pro- 
gramme? The  individual,  then,  is  to  have  no 
consideration,  I  suppose.  I  have  only  the  one 
life,  tragic  in  its  brevity,  beset  with  many  ills 
at  best ;  and  yet  the  philosophers  and  ethical 
writers  crowd  about  me  and  tell  me  in  insist- 
ent tones  that  I  am  to  surrender  the  best  part 
of  that  life  for  the  sake  of  the  species. 

"Well  might  Tennyson,  in  the  night  of  his 
sorrow,  sing  : 

'  Are  God  and  nature  then  at  strife 
That  nature  lends  such  evil  dreams? 

So  careful  of  the  type  she  seems 
So  careless  of  the  single  life.  ' 

"Society,  I  yield  to  your  mandates!  I  will 
not  ask  you  to  sanction,  through  legal  forms, 
that  which  would  be  for  my  individual  good, 


OVERSHADOWED.  23 

but  would,  you  say,  result  in  your  injury.  I 
will  not  marry  the  girl !  " 

Thus  far  society  seems  to  have  won.  Altru- 
ism seems  to  have  triumphed  over  Egoism.  But 
not  so  ;  Egoism  returns  to  the  struggle.  The 
young  man  resumes  his  soliloquy. 

4 'Is  society  sincere  in  its  demand?  There 
are  in  the  United  States  nearly  two  million 
people — mulattoes,  begotten  contrary  to  the 
written  code.  There  must  be  an  unwritten 
code  that  permits  individuals  to  ignore  the  de- 
mands of  society  and  mate  according  to  choice. 
Shall  I  avail  myself  of  the  provisions  of  this 
unwritten  code  ?  Shall  I,  or  shall  I  not  ?  Shall 
I  ask  that  pure  girl  to  go  counter  to  the  re- 
quirements of  all  civilized  communities  and  en- 
ter a  union  devoid  of  legal  sanction  ?  Shall  I, 
or  shall  I  not  ?  Shall  I,  or  shall  I  not  ?  "  Over 
and  over  the  young  man  asks  himself  the  ques- 
tion. At  last  he  cries  out,  "These  intermin- 
able codes  and  counter  codes  !  To  the  deuce 
with  them  all!  ERMA  shall  be  mine  !  "  So  say- 
ing, he  sprang  to  his  feet,  Egoism  in  triumph, 
Altruism  put  to  inglorious  rout. 

He  glances  at  his  watch,  arranges  his  toilet, 
secures  a  mask  with  which  he  covers  his  face, 
steals  forth  from  the  home  of  his  parents,  as 
the  hands  on  the  clock  are  nearing  the  hour  of 
midnight.  Choosing  dark  and  less  frequented 


24  OVERSHADOWED. 

streets  and  alleyways,  he  proceeded  '  on  his 
journey,  arriving-,  at  length  at  a  very  handsome, 
two-story  brick  building-.  He  looks  about  him 
with  quick,  hurried  glances  and  then  gives  a 
slight  knock,  thrice  repeated  in  rapid  succes- 
sion. He  is  evidently  expected,  as  the  door 
opens  at  once  and  he  is  ushered  into  a  long, 
dark  hallway.  Thence  he  is  led  into  a  large 
parlor  in  the  far  end  of  which  a  gas  jet  is  dimly 
burning,  giving  a  weird,  ghostly  appearance  to 
everything.  The  woman  who  had  opened  the 
door  for  him,  bade  him  to  be  seated,  she  taking 
a  seat  at  some  distance  from  him. 

The  woman  in  question  was  a  Negro,  brown 
of  skin,  with  a  fat,  round  face,  small  eyes,  very 
corpulent,  and  short  of  stature. 

The  young  man  begins  : 

"Mrs.  Smith  (Dolly  Smith  is  her  name):  you 
have  been  highly  recommended  to  me  as  a  party 
fully  capable  of  attending  to  delicate  matters." 

"  Many  thanks  to  my  unknown  sponsor,"  re- 
marked Dolly  Smith,  her  little  eyes,  accustomed 
to  the  dark,  making  a  close  scrutiny  of  the 
young  man's  features,  he  having  removed  his 
mask  in  the  belief  that  the  darkness  of  the 
room  would  suffice  to  conceal  his  identity. 

The  young  man  continued,  "  You  will  under- 
stand, of  course,  that  our  relations  are  confi- 


OVERSHADOWED.  25 

dential  and  whatever  is  done  is  to  be  without 
prejudice  to  the  good  name  of  any  one  con- 
cerned." 

"  Pardon  the  uncouthness  of  the  remark,  but 
please  bear  in  mind  that  I  am  no  butcher.  Rep- 
utations that  could  not  stand  a  whiff  of  the 
air  of  suspicion  have  been  entrusted  to  my 
care,  and  neither  my  skill  nor  integrity  in  pre- 
serving them  have  ever  been  called  into  ques- 
tion. Remember,  too,  if  you  please,  that  I  am 
a  woman  of  standing  in  my  own  race,  and  it  is 
of  great  personal  interest  to  me  to  be  discreet 
in  all  my  doings,"  was  Dolly  Smith's  spirited 
rejoinder. 

"It  pleases  me  much,  Mrs,  Smith,  to  hear  you 
discourse  thus.  The  affair  which  I  wish  for 
you  to  conduct  for  me,  concerns  a  young  wo- 
man of  high  standing  in  your  race  and  I  do  not 
desire  that  any  understanding  which  she  and  I 
may  reach  shall  affect  her  status  with  her  own 
people,"  added  the  young  man. 

"  Have  no  fear  on  that  score.  A  number  of 
girls  in  this  very  city  are  even  now  leading  the 
double  life  to  which  I  presume  you  to  be  refer- 
ring. Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  social  life  of 
the  two  races  is  distinct,  you  may  be  the  low- 
est strata  in  the  one  and  the  very  highest  in 
the  other,  without  so  much  as  occasioning  a  sus- 
picion. If  there  be  no  objection  on  your  part, 


26  OVERSHADOWED. 

I  should  be  pleased  to  have  you  state  specific- 
ally what  brings  me  the  favor  of  your  visit." 

"Thank  you  for  the  hint  to  come  to  the 
point.  I  desire  that  you  be  of  service  to  me  in 
forming  the  acquaintance  of  one  Erma  Wy- 
song." 

A  look  of  pain  passed  over  the  sensual  fea- 
tures of  Dolly  Smith  and  her  hands  clutched  her 
chair  convulsively.  Her  lips  breathed  a  soft 
exclamation,  "  My  God."  The  darkness  of  the 
room  prevented  the  young-  man's  detecting-  these 
sig-ns  of  excitement. 

In  a  voice  that  trembled  slig-htly  with  sup- 
pressed emotion  Dolly  Smith  enquired,  "  How 
far  have  you  proceeded  in  the  matter  yourself?" 

The  young-  man  thoug-ht  that  he  detected  a 
faint  note  of  anxiety  in  the  question,  but  it  was 
not  sufficiently  pronounced  to  make  a  distinct 
impression.  He  answered  ; 

"Oh,  I  have  not  so  much  as  spoken  to  the  girl. 
In  company  with  a  number  of  other  white  peo- 
ple I  attended  the  exercises  of,  the  High  School 
on  the  evening  of  her  graduation.  On  that  oc- 
casion, dressed  in  a  snowy  white  garment,  her 
hair  tastefully  decorated  with  a  few  choice  ro- 
ses, she  sang  liks  a  nightingale  and  read  a 
graduating  essay  that  revealed  a  mind  of  sin- 
gular beauty,  culture  and  strength,  yet  pos- 
sessed of  that  distinct  charm  which  man  asso- 


OVERSHADOWED.  27 

ciates  with  woman.  From  that  hour  I  have 
been  her  slave,  though  no  one  save  myself  has 
known  it.  The  time  that  has  elapsed  since  her 
graduation,  I  have  spent  in  earnest  combat 
against  the  powerful  current  that  has  been 
bearing  me  upon  its  bosom  to  an  unknown 
port.  You  may  judge  the  strength  of  my  at- 
tachment." 

This  speech  had  a  reassuring  effect  on  Dolly. 
She  thought  within  herself,  "I  will  get  his 
money  and  save  Erma  as  well.  If  I  have  to 
choose  between  money  and  Erma,  I  pity  poor 
Erma.  The  integrity  of  Negro  girls  stands 
but  a  poor  chance  for  life  in  the  presence  of 
such  wolves  as  myself .  But  heaven  forfend  that 
I  be  reduced  to  such  a  choice.  For  money  I 
must  have,  money  I  must  have  ;  for  my  enemy 
nears  his  grave  unscathed  by  my  revenge." 
Such  were  the  inward  reflection  of  Dolly  Smith. 

To  the  \Toung  man,  Dolly  replied,  "  I  suppose 
you  know7  that  the  inveiglement  of  a  g'irl  of  Er- 
ma's  stamp  requires  time,  pa-tient  and  skillful 
handling,  and  often  much  expense,"  the  last 
twro  words  being  pronounced  with  considerable 
emphasis. 

"Mark  Anthony  surrendered  a  throne  for 
voluptuous  Cleopatra.  Surely  virtous  Erma  is 
entitled  to  the  small  pittance  of  a  few  thou- 
sands if  there  be  need." 


OVERSHADOWED. 

Dolly  Smith  could  scarcely  refrain  from 
bounding-  from  her  seat  as  a  result  of  uncon- 
trollable joy  produced  by  the  speech  of  the 
young1  man,  whom  she  now  set  apart  in  her 
heart  as  her  gold  mine  to  be  thoroughly  ex- 
ploited. 

The  young  man  arose  and  approached  Dolly 
Smith,  handing  to  her  a  one  hundred  dollar 
note,  saying  as  he  did  so,  "  This  is  but  an  ear- 
nest of  my  good  intentions  toward  you.  Do  me 
faithful  service  and  you  shall  be  happy.  You 
shall  know  me  as  Elbridge  Noral.  Address 
me  at  P.  O.  Box  40.  I  trust  that  you  will 
have  pleasant  news  for  me  soon." 
/  "Rely  upon  me  to  do  my  best,  Mr.  Noral." 

Mr.  Noral,  as  we  shall  call  him  until  better 
informed,  now  left  the  parlor,  followed  by 
Dolly.  She  opens  the  street  door  and  Mr.  No- 
ral goes  forth  from  the  house  where  he  has 
formed  the  first  unholy  alliance  of  his  life. 
When  the  door  was  closed  on  his  retreating- 
form,  Dolly  Smith  threw  the  one  hundred  dol- 
lar note  upon  the  floor  and  danced  around  it  a 
gay,  voluptuous  dance. 

"  There,  there,  I  am  forgetting-  myself  !  " 
So  saying  she  darted  into  a  secret  closet  in  the 
side  of  the  hallway,  quickly  stuffed  herself  into 
a  larg-e  pair  of  pants,  put  on  a  vest  and  a  coat, 
seized  a  large  hat  and  plunged  into  the  street 
to  follow  Noral.  The  arrangements  of  the 


OVERSHADOWED.  29 

streets  in  that  neighborhood  furnished  but 
one  outlet  from  Dole's  house,  for  some  distance, 
so  Dolly  had  no  trouble  in  pursuing*  him. 
Though  very  corpulent,  Dolly  was  strong  and 
active  and  by  alternately  walking  and  trotting, 
puffing  and  blowing,  she  soon  came  in  sight  of 
Noral,  whom  she  followed  at  a  safe  distance, 
he  and  she  both  keeping  as  much  as  possible  in 
the  dark.  Noral  took  such  a  course  as  led  him 
by  Erma  Wysong's  little  home.  Here  he 
paused  and  gazed  long  and  lovingly  at  the  little 
cottage  in  which  Erma  lay  dreaming  of  Astral. 
Dolly  was  an  interested  spectator  of  this  night 
scene  which  Noral  supposed  to  be  enacted  only 
in  the  sight  of  the  silent  stars,  sympathizing 
angels,  and  an  All  wise  Creator.  Even  the  cal- 
lous heart  of  Dolly  Smith  was  momentarily 
touched,  and  she  muttered  to  herself  : 

"  Poor  fellow  !  It  is  indeed  a  tragedy  of  the 
soul  that  that  young  fellow  is  denied  all  honora- 
ble approach  to  that  girl  and  must  resort  to  me, 
vile  woman.  Ha!  Ha!  Dolly  Smith,  the  trusted 
emissary  of  a  love  in  its  original  form  as  pure 
as  any  that  ever  took  root  in  the  human  heart  \ 
Tut,  tut,  a  few  more  ennobling  reflections  and 
I  would  be  a  good  woman,  which  thing  is  man- 
ifestly an  impossibility." 

Noral  moved  on,  reached  the  fashionable  part 
of  the  city  and,  to  Dolly's  utter  amazement,  en- 


30  OVERSHADOWED. 

tered  the  home  of  occupants  well  known  to  her. 
She  recalled  the  features  of  her  visitor  and  said: 

"I  mig-ht  have  known  it!  I  mig-ht  have 
known  it !  Have  I  struck  the  right  trail  at 
last?  If  I  have,  oh,  Satan,  prince  of  Evil,  I 
crave  your  help."  Knitting-  her  brows  she 
shook  her  clinched  fist  in  rag~e  at  the  house  into 
which  the  young1  man  had  gone.  Having-  done 
this  to  her  satisfaction,  she  started  home  at  a 
rapid  pace  arriving1  there  in  an  exhausted  con- 
dition. As  soon  as  she  was  sufficiently  recov- 
ered from  her  exhaustion  to  permit  it,  she 
danced  a  wild,  joyous  sort  of  dance,  uttering-  a 
succession  of  savag-e  like  shrieks  of  delig"ht. 

Sleep,  the  tender  nurse  in  the  employ  of  na- 
ture, soon  folded  Dolly  Smith  in  her  arms  and 
lulled  her  to  rest  as  soothingly  as  she  did  the 
innocent  g-irl  Erma,  who  now  became  the 
storm  center  of  the  elements.  Let  us  not  find 
fault  with  nature  because  she  will  not  become 
a  party  to  these  human  strifes  of  ours.  She 
but  follows  the  behests  of  the  great  Unknown, 
whose  ways  are  past  finding-  out. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  LADY  WHO  DID  NOT  KNOW  THAT  SHE  WAS 
A  LADY. 

44  Ellen  !  Ellen  !  Oh,  Ellen  !  Ellen  Sanders  !" 
Ellen  Sanders,  a  belle  in  Negro  society,  had 
just  sat  down  to  partake  of  a  10 :30  A.  M. 
breakfast  when  she  heard  this  call.  She  arose 
hastily  and  rushed  to  the  dining-room  door  that 
opened  into  the  yard,  and  saw  Margaret  Mars- 
ton,  another  Negro  society  belle,  leaning1  over 
the  fence  that  separated  her  home  from  that 
of  Ellen.  Marg-aret  was  holding-  a  newspaper  in 
one  hand,  one  arm  being-  thrown  over  the  pal- 
ing- to  hold  her  up,  as  she  was  standing-  with 
her  feet  upon  the  lower  railing-  to  which  the 
paling's  were  nailed.  THe  look  of  her  eye,  the 
appearance  of  her  face,  the  shaking-  newspaper, 
and  her  almost  hysterical  shrieks  for  Ellen,  all 
betokened  a  high  degree  of  excitement. 

44  Pray,  Marg-aret!  what  on  earth  can  be 
the  matter  ?  Why,  you  f rig-htened  me  nearly  to 
death,  g"irl.  What  on  earth  is  it?" 

4 'Ellen,  do  just  come  here.  There  is  some- 
thing- in  this  paper  that  is  just  too  awful  for 
anything-." 

(31) 


32  OVERSHADOWED. 

"Ivet  me  see  it,"  said  Ellen,  running-  to 
where  Margaret  stood.  "  Is  somebody  dead  ?  " 
she  asked  in  anxious  tones. 

"  Worse  than  that,"  said  Margaret. 

"I  don't  see  anything-,  Margaret,"  said  El- 
len, scanning  the  paper  with  the  haste  born  of 
eagerness  and  excitement. 

"  L/ook  up  there  at  the  top  of  the  column 
headed,  "  Situations  wanted,"  at  the  very  first 
advertisement.  Oh  Ellen,  it  is  just  dreadful," 
said  Margaret,  as  though  her  heart  was  about 
to  break. 

Ellen  read  the  piece  pointed  out  to  her.  The 
paper  fell  from  her  hand,  and  without  saying  a 
word,  she  staggered  backwards  until  she  reached 
the  porch  to  the  dining  room  from  which  she 
had  come.  She  dropped  down  upon  the  floor  of 
the  porch  in  a  sitting  posture,  as  though  what 
she  had  read  had  robbed  her  of  all  strength, 
and  had  shattered  her  nervous  system.  Finally, 
drawing  a  long  breath,  she  said  :  • 

"Well,  well,  well,  did  you  ever!  But  I  al- 
ways did  tell  you  that  Erma  Wysong  would 
come  to  some  bad  end.  And  just  think  !  you 
used  to  like  her  so  well,  too." 

"  Yes,  I  did,  Ellen.  But  I  am  done  now. 
Just  think  !  she  was  the  head  of  our  class 
when  we  were  graduated  at  the  High  School,  and 
thus  she  brings  disgrace  upon  our  entire  class. 


OVERSHADOWED.  33 

Ah,  me  !  It  is  just  too  dreadful  to  think  about. 
It  has  actually  made  me  sick.  I  really  fear 
that  I  shall  have  to  go  to  bed  from  the  shock," 
remarked  Margaret. 

"  I  don't  feel  like  eating  another  mouthful  of 
breakfast,'.'  said  Ellen.  "  But  it  may  be  that  it 
is  not  our  Erma,"  she  continued. 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  !  Don't  you  see  that  the  ad- 
vertisement refers  you  to  her  street,  number 
and  all,"  replied  Margaret. 

**  Well,  all  that  I  can  say  is,  she  is  disgraced 
forever  ;  and  as  for  my  part,  I  don't  purpose  to 
ever  speak  to  her  again  !  " 

' '  Speak  to  her  !  Of  course  not  !  If-  we  rec- 
ognize her,  that  will  make  us  as  bad  as  she  is — 
'-particeps  criminis,'1  the  Latins  would  say.  I 
just  wish  I  could  see  her  so  that  I  could  pass 
her  and  turn  away  my  head  without  speaking. 
I  could  go  five  miles  out  of  my  way,  just  to 
catch  her  eye  and  then  look  away  from  her  in 
disdain,"  said  Margaret. 

44  Have  you  told  your  mamma?"  queried 
Ellen. 

"  No,"  said  Margaret,  "  Give  me  the  paper. 
I  had  forgotten  that.  " 

Ellen  arose,  walked  to  the  paper,  picked  it 
up  from  the  ground  and  handed  it  over  the 
fence.  Margaret  took  it  and  hurried  around 
the  house  to  the  place  where  her  mother  was. 


34    '  OVERSHADOWED. 

As  fast  as  she  goes,  let  us  precede  her  there, 
and  find  out  what  we  can  of  Mrs.  Marston.  It 
is  now  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  day,  and  Mrs. 
Mollie  Marston,  Margaret's  mother,  is  stand- 
ing* before  a  washtub,  with  huge  piles  of  dirty 
clothes  all  about  her.  A  piece  of  white  cloth 
is  tied  about  her  head ;  her  sleeves  are  pushed 
beyond  her  elbows,  and  she  is  wearily  rubbing 
away  at  the  clothes,  a  settled  look  of  pain  being 
upon  her  fast  wrinkling  face.  She  is  now  fifty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  her  whole  life — both  the 
part  that  lies  in  the  time  of  slavery  and  the 
part  that  has  come  afterwards — her  whole  life 
has  been  one  long  day  of  toil,  with  no  prospect 
of  a  sunset  and  an  hour  of  rest  before  the  com- 
ing of  the  eternalsleep.  By  4 'taking  in  washing" 
from  wealthy  white  people,  she  had  aided  her 
husband  in  his  attempts  to  own  a  little  home. 
When  Margaret  was  old  enough  to  go  to  school, 
she  had  sent  her,  and  had  managed  to  keep  her 
there,  well  clad  and  supplied  with  books,  only 
by  the  hardest  sort  of  toil.  Before  day 
dawned  on  a  Monday  morning,  and  while  night 
yet  frowned  his  blackest  on  Saturday  night, 
she  was  found  either  at  the  washtub  or  iron- 
ing board,  striving  to  make  her  "pints  meet." 
She  had  denied  herself  all  ornamentation  and 
pleasures  of  whatever  sort  involving  the  expen- 
diture of  money.  The  barest  necessities  of  life 


OVERSHADOWED.  35 

were  all  that  she  allowed  herself.  Thus  we 
find  her  at  work  when  Margaret  rushes  around 
and  says,  4t  Mamma,  mamma,  let  me  read  some- 
thing- to  you  in  the  morning-  paper."  Mrs. 
Marston  straightened  up  as  though  the  effort 
gave  her  pain  ;  she  had  been  bending-  over  the 
tub  in  one  position  so  long-.  With  a  smile  of 
admiration  on  her  face,  she  turned  toward  Mar- 
g-aret  and  prepared  to  listen.  Margaret,  know- 
ing her  mother's  pride  in  her  accomplishments, 
cleared  her  throat  in  order  to  read  in  her  most 
pleasing-  and  effective  voice  the  statement  that 
had  so  horrified  her  and  her  classmate  : 

"SITUATIONS   WANTED— FEMALE    HELP. 

"  A  young  Negro  woman,  Erma  Wysong, 
desires  a  position  as  cook,  washerwoman, 
nurse  or  housemaid  in  a  white  family.  The 
best  of  references.  Address  202  Sylvanus 
Street." 

4 'Now,  mamma,  did  you  ever  think  THAT  of 
Erma  Wysong  ?  After  her  poor  mamma  and 
papa,  both  of  whom  are  now  dead,  worked  so 
hard  to  educate  her,  she  is  going  to  throw  that 
education  away  in  the  washtub,  in  the  kitchen, 
or  rolling  some  white  woman's  baby  about.  If 
her  dead  mother  only  knew  how  Erma  was 
about  to  disgrace  her  education,  she  could  not 
rest  easy  in  her  grave.  Of  course  there  is  no 
other  kind  of  work  open  for  her  to  do  just  now, 
but  if  she  had  only  held  herself  up  for  two  or 
three  years,  she  might  have  gotten  a  school  to 


36  OVERSHADOWED. 

teach  when  some  of  the  other  teachers  died  or 
got  married.  But  as  it  is,  she  has  just  gone 
and  ruined  herself  forever.  Well,  mamma,  I 
promise  you  faithfully  that  while  you  are  alive, 
and  after  you  are  dead,  I'll  starve  before  I 
bring  disgrace  upon  the  education  which  you 
and  papa  have,  worked  so  hard  to  give  me.  I'll 
never  throw  my  education  away  by  bending 
over  a  washtub  or  by  moving  about  in  a  white 
man's  kitchen.  No,  indeed  !  depend  upon  that, 
mamma, you  dear,  kind  mamma,"  said  Margaret, 
with  many  an  emphatic  toss  of  her  head.  She 
gave  her  mamma  a  resounding  kiss,  and  leaving 
the  much  overburdened  woman  in  the  midst  of 
huge  piles  of  clothes,  she  went  to  renew  her 
gossip  with  Ellen. 

4  *  What  does  your  mamma  think  of  it,  Mar- 
garet," asked  Ellen. 

"Oh,  mamma  was  just  so  struck  that  she  could 
not  say  a  word.  It  is  just  dreadful.  Why,  it 
will  have  a  tendency  to  stop  parents  from  educa- 
ting their  children,  if  they  are  to  act  like  that," 
remarked  Margaret. 

"  Yes,"  joined  in  Ellen,  "  and  it  might  make 
some  of  our  weak-minded  parents  think  that  we 
educated  girls  ought  to  cook  and  wash  clothes 
and  scrub  floors  at  home," 

"  That  would  be  too  horrid.  Why,  we  would 
then  be  no  higher  in  life  than  our  slave  time 


OVERSHADOWED.  37 

mothers  who  did  such  work.  White  girls  oc- 
cupying1 the  social  station  in  their  race  that  we 
do  in  our  race  would  suffer  themselves  to  be 
carried  out  of  their  homes  dead  before  they 
would  perform  such  menial  tasks.  And,  Ellen, 
we  must  hold  up  our  race  just  as  they  do  their 
race.  Why,  just  think,  if  we  educated  girls  go 
to  work,  it  can  be  truthfully  said  that  our  race 
has  no  first-class  society." 

"  Marg-aret,  the  more  I  think  of  what  Erma 
has  done,  the  worse  I  feel.  Let  us  gx>  out  and  tell 
all  the  other  educated  girls  about  it  before  any 
of  them  chance  to  meet  Erma  and  speak  to  her  as 
cordially  as  ever.  She  is  the  first  Negro  girl  that 
has  disgraced  her  education  by  offering-  to  g-o  to 
work,  and  we  must  all  pounce  down  upon  her 
so  fast  and  hard  that  she  will  be  the  last ;  all 
of  our  set  must  snub  her  rigfht  and  left.  It  may 
bring-  her  to  her  senses,  too." 

"  That  is  a  capital  idea,  Ellen  !  Let  us  g-et 
ready  at  once." 

So  saying-,  they  went  to  their  respective 
rooms,  dressed  themselves  in  the  finest  articles 
of  wear  in  their  wardrobes,  and  sallied  forth  to 
spread  everywhere  the  news  of  the  disgrace,  as 
they  termed  it,  of  their  classmate. 

As  Mrs.  Marston  said  nothing-  to  Marg-aret 
let  us  not  follow  these  girls  in  their  crusade, 
but  rather  let  us  ling-er  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 


38  OVERSHADOWED. 

her  simple  but  honest  mind  and  heart.  As  soon 
as  Margaret  had  gone  the  dear  old  woman,  pre- 
maturely aged  by  excessively  hard  toiling, 
stopped  work,  took  up  her  pipe  and  sat  down 
to  smoke,  as  was  her  wont  whenever  she  had  a 
knotty  problem  to  solve.  Erma  Wysong's  case 
was  troubling  her  exceedingly,  for  she  had  been 
a  favorite  girl  with  her.  On  her  way  from 
school,  Erma  would  always  stop  in  to  see 
44  Dear  Aunt  Mollie "  and  have  a  gay  chat. 
Thus,  she  had  learned  to  love  her.  As  Erma 
grew  older,  her  modest,  lady-like  bearing  the 
more  deeply  impressed  Mrs.  Marston,  who 
sought  in  every  way  to  cement  the  tie  of 
friendship  between  her  daughter  and  Erma, 
knowing  that  continued  association  with  her 
was  a  decided  gain  for  Margaret.  In  all  of  Er- 
ma's  life  Mrs.  Marston  had  never  known  her  to 
be  guilty  of  a  wrong,  or  indiscreet,  act,  and  we 
put  it  mildly  when  we  say  that  she  was  shocked 
over  the  news  just  imparted  to  her  concerning 
Erma.  As  the  advertisement  was  just  out,  she 
felt  sure  that  she  could  find  Erma  yet  at  home, 
and  might  after  all  succeed  in  preventing  her 
from  taking  the  contemplated  step,  so  fatal  to 
her  standing  in  's'iety.'  With  such  thoughts 
coursing  through  her  mind  she  took  the  white 
rag  from  her  head,  pulled  down  her  sleeves,  put 
on  a  stiff  white  apron  and  a  broad  brimmed 
straw  hat  and  went  forth  to  save  Erma. 


OVERSHADOWED.  39 

Heroic  soul!  Perhaps  no  monument  will  ever 
be  reared  to  those  noble  Negro  women  who, 
emerging-  from  slavery,  were  at  once  enslaved 
again  by  their  children  and  bore  their  heavy 
burdens  uncomplainingly,  in  a  vain  attempt  to 
build  up  upon  their  poor  bruised  shoulders  an 
aristocracy  such  as  they  had  left  behind,  their 
educated  children  to  be  the  aristocrats.  Their 
like  will  hardly  be  seen  on  earth  again  ! 

Mrs.  Marston,  on  reaching  Erma's  home 
found  her  singing  gaily  and  moving  about  the 
room  dusting  and  setting  things  aright.  Erma 
received  her  so  joyfully  that  she  felt  a  lump 
rise  in  her  throat  each  time  she  attempted  to 
state  the  purpose  of  her  visit.  At  length  she 
said,  "Miss  Erm,  whut  erbout  all  dis  awfil 
news  gwine  'round  'bout  you  ?  " 

Erma's  smile  died  away  suddenly,  her  breath 
came  quick  and  fast  and  she  began  to  tremble 
all  over.  She  said  in  tones  that  showed  great 
anxiety,  "  I  have  not  heard  any  bad  news  about 
myself,  Mrs.  Marston.  What  can  it  be?" 

44  Thar  now  !  I  had  my  doubts  'bout  it  frum 
de  fust.  Wyde  pore  chile  doan  nonuthin  'bout 
it,"  poured  forth  Mrs.  Marston. 

Erma  felt  a  chill  creeping  over  her  frame, 
she  was  so  full  of  fear  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
charge  against  her.  Some  children  that  have 
not  been  burned  dread  the  fire.  If  the  charge 


40  OVERSHADOWED. 

involved  anything"  sinful  she  knew  beforehand 
t.hat  she  was  innocent ;  but  it  was  a  terror  to 
her  pure  soul  to  have  to  even  contemplate  the 
passing*  within  the  limits  of  the  shadow  of 
wrong-.  She  awaited  Mrs.  Marston's  further 
utterances  with  a  nervous  twitching"  of  her 
thin,  beautiful  lips. 

"Wai,  Miss  Erm — I  mus  'call  you  Miss,  es  you 
is  now  er  young  'oman  ;  but  I  knowed  }^ou  wen 
you  wuz  er  tiny  gfal — I  allus  lubbed  you  pow- 
erfil  much,  yes,  powertil  much,  Miss  Erm.  Yer 
niammy  which  is  dead,  wucked  hard  ter  g^it  }TOU 
an  edification  an  den  dide,  pore  soul.  'Do  I  ain't 
been  tellin  whut  wuz  runuin'  in  my  min',  I  hez 
been  stud'in'  'bout  you  fir  de  long-is',  puzzlin' 
my  pore  noddle  ter  try  ter  help  you.  But  I  hez 
been  hard  prest  myself.  You  see,  Miss  Erm, 
Margie  is  a  'siety  young"  'oman  now,  and  hez  de 
doctors  and  lieyers  and  skule  teachers  ter  cum 
ter  call  on  her  ;  and  it  wucks  me  powerfil  hard 
ter  dress  her  fit  ter  gfo  in  'siety  and  look  es  good 
es  eny  udder  'siety  gal,  white  er  black.  Den,  pi- 
anners  is  all  de  rage  now,  and  me  and  m}7  old 
man  has  gx>t  her  one  ub  dem.  Den  she  has  ter 
g*o  off  fir  vakashun  ub  summers  lack  de  white 
'siety  belles.  All  dese  ting's,  Miss  Erm,  makes 
it  powerfil  hard  fir  me  ter  make  buckle  and 
tongaie  meet.  You  see  her  daddy  and  me  am 
bof  g-ittin'  ole  and  kain't  wuck  lack  we  uster. 


OVERSHADOWED.  41 

My  back  is  kinder  stiff  an'  weak  an'  I  had  ter 
quit  washin'  fir  Mrs.  Mayo  las'  week  caus'  I 
hed  too  much  ter  do  fir  my  present  strenf.  Ef 
it  wuzn't  fir  all  dis  I  wuz  tinking  powerfil  hard 
ub  'doptin  you  fir  my  own  gal  ter  hab  wid  me. 
My  Margie  ain't  so  steddy  as  she  mout  be,  and 
you  would  be  sich  good  soshasun  fir  her.  But 
more'n  one  'siety  gal  on  my  hans  just  now  ?ud 
be  more'n  I  could,  stan'  up  ter.  Howsomever, 
I  hes  lubbed  you  jes'  de  same  an'  I  is  powerfil 
g'lad,  powerfil  glad  it  ain't  so  whut  I  hearn 
read."  Thus  spoke  Mrs.  Marston,  about  as 
much  to  herself  as  to  Erma,  her  head  bent 
forward,  her  eyes  cast  down  and  her  hand  to 
her  cheek,  as  if  lost  in  deep  meditation. 

In  trembling  tones,  Erma  said,  "But,  Mrs. 
Marston,  you  have  not  told  me  what  was  being 
said  against  me." 

"Ain't  I?  Laws  a  in  ussy  on  my  furgitful 
soul.  'Skuse  me.  I  hes  bin  stud'in'  so  pow- 
erfil hard.  Wai,  Miss  Erm,  dey  tole  me — 
min'  you,  I  ain't  said  whut  dey — dey  tole  me 
you  wus  gwine  ter  hire  out  ter  white  folks  ter 
scrub  an'  wash  an'  i'ne  an'  nuss  babies  an' 
do  all  sich  disgracefil  tings  for  an  edicated 
'siety  lady." 

"Is  that  the  crime  that  is  alleged  against 
me  ?  "  asked  Erma,  drawing  a  good  long  breath 
after  her  prolonged  suspense. 


42  OVERSHADOWED. 

"I  doan'  know  'bout  bein'  'leged  agin'  you, 
whutsomever  dat  mout  be.  But  dey  is  sayin* 
dat  whut  I  hez  tole  you  is  so,  and  dey  is  sayin' 
it  powerfil  strong".  An'  dat  is  'zactly  whut 
brung1  me  here  fir  ter  see  you." 

With  a  joyful  laugh,  Erma  sprang-  over  to 
Mrs.  Marston  and  well  nigh  smothered  her 
with  an  avalanche  of  kisses.  Sitting1  on  one  of 
Mrs.  Marston's  knees,  with  an  arm  thrown 
fondly  about  her  neck,  Erma  spoke  as  follows  : 

"  My  dear  Aunt  Mollie,  because  our  race  has 
borrowed  the  white  man's  language,  manner  of 
dress,  religion,  ideas  of  home,  philosphy  of  life, 
we  have  apparently  decided  that  everything 
that  the  white  man  does  is  good  for  us  to  imi- 
tate. We  do  not  stop  to  think  that  the  white 
race  has  deep,  ingrained  faults  as  a  race  ;  and 
thus  we  proceed  to  imitate  faults  and  virtues 
alike,  indiscriminately  and  instinctively.  We 
unhesitatingly  adopt  even  those  erroneous  traits 
in  the  white  man's  character  that  have  op- 
pressed us.  Now,  Aunt  Mollie,  one  of  the  most 
baneful  evils  that  slavery  has  left  us  is  the  idea 
that  physical  labor  is  a  badge  of  disgrace,  and 
that  a  condition  of  luxurious  idleness  is  the  most 
exalted,  the  most  honorable,  the  ideal  existence. 
The  Southern  white  people  are  the  parents  of 
the  idea  that  physical  labor  is  disgraceful,  and, 
being  such  an  imitative  people,  we  have  accepted 


OVERSHADOWED.  43 

without  question, their  standard  of  what  is  hon- 
orable. Aunt  Mollie,  the  insidious  influence  of 
that  idea  is  what  makes  the  rising"  gener- 
ation of  Negro  youths  so  idle  and  so  averse  to 
physical  labor.  They  are  imitating-  the  wealthy 
young-  white  man,  who  cites  the  fact  that  he 
does  not  have  to  work  as  proof  positive  that 
he  is  a  g-entleman.  The  young-  Negro  decides 
that  he  can  and  must  be  a  g-entleman  like  the 
young-  white  man.  This  idea  that  work  is  dis- 
graceful is  destined  to  ruin  thousands  of  Negro 
girls  who  are  going-  to  try  to  play  4  lady '  and 
abstain  from  employment.  No,  no,  Aunt  Mol- 
lie, labor  is  not  in  the  least  degree  degrading, 
even  if  the  white  people  do  seem  to  think  so. 
Believe  me,  Aunty,  there  is  no  disgrace  con- 
nected with  the  doing  of  any  work  that  is  hon- 
est. Work,  hard,  hard  work,  has  not  stained 
your  soul,  dear  Aunt  Mollie.  You  are  as  much 
a  true  woman  as  any  queen,  as  much  a  lady  as 
that  woman  who  has  never  deigned  to  stoop 
to  tie  her  own  shoe." 

Mrs.  Marston  shook  her  head  as  though  Er- 
ma's  way  of  looking  at  things  was  beyond  her 
comprehension. 

But  Erma  continued,  coming  nearer  home  in 
her  argument : 

"  If  Margaret  were  to  take  her  place  by  your 
side  day  by  dav  and  do  what  vou  do  it  would 


44  OVERSHADOWED. 

not  corrupt  her  soul  any  more  than  it  has  cor- 
rupted yours.  And  so  long"  as  the  soul  is  pure 
God  loves  you,  and  who  dares  despise  what  God 
loves?  God  loves  an  honest  heart,  even  when 
the  frame  that  contains  it  is  bending-  over  the 
washtub.  It  would  be  so  grand,  Aunt  Mollie,  if 
you  could  get  Margaret  out  of  that  false  notion 
of  life,  borrowed  from  white  people  in  the  South. 
She  would  be  so  much  help  to  your  overbur- 
dened frame.  I  could  scarcely  repress  my  tears 
as  you  told  me  how  you,  an  aged,  feeble  woman 
labored  so  hard  for  that  young-,  strong-  and  vig- 
orous  g-irl  to  sustain  her  in  a  false  notion  of  life. 
Yes,  yes,  Mrs.  Marston,  lam  going  to  hire  out. 
There  is  a  little  mortg-ag-e  on  our  home  that 
must  be  paid.  Then,  too,  I  wish  to  earn  money 
enoug-h  to  enable  me  to  finish  my  education. 
These  ends  being-  honorable  and  desirable,  I  am 
willing-  to  perform  any  task  that  is  honorable, 
thoug-h  menial  to  attain  them.  Now,  Aunt 
Mollie,  I  have  an  engagement  at  four  o'clock 
and  must  leave  you.  Pray  for  me,  for  I  shall 
be  most  viciously  assailed  by  my  own  people 
who  feel  that  the  stand  they  take  against  me 
has  a  parallel  in  the  white  race  where  the  com- 
mon laborer  is  shut  out  from  social  recognition 
by  the  well-to-do  element.  And  you  know  how 
hard  a  Negro  will  throw  a  stone  at  another  if 
he  feels  that  he  has  the  sanction  of  the  white 


OVERSHADOWED.  45 

people.  Nevertheless,  I  shall  strive  in  my 
humble  way  to  prove  that  labor  is  not  inimical 
to  ladyhood." 

' '  Pray  for  you  !  God  bless  yer  pew  soul  !  Dat 
I  will,  Erm,  dat  I  will, "  said  Aunt  Mollie,  brush- 
ing" away  with  her  horny  hands  the  tears  from 
her  eyes.  She  continued,  "Disgrace  or  no  dis- 
grace, dere  is  po  werfil  few  lack  you,  Erm,  power- 
fil  few.  Ef  you  eber  needs  a  home,  come  to 
your  Aunt  Mollie  Marston's.  Good  day.  So 
long-,  chile,  God  bless  you." 

Mrs.  Marston  walked  homeward,  musing- 
over  Erma's  sayings.  "Wai,  I  hez  notused 
dat  dem  northun  wimmin  es  cums  doun  here 
doos  wuck.  I  'specks  dese  Suverners  hes  g-ot  us 
blevin'  wrong1  ter  tink  dat  a  washtub  spiles  yer 
ladyship.  Mebbe  arter  all  I  hez  been  a  lady 
and  didunt  know  it  all  dis  whiul.  Been  cheated 
outen  my  standing-  in  life  foolin'  arter  dese  Suv- 
erners !  1  declar'  it  beg-ins  ter  peer  ter  me  dat 
Erm  is  rig-ht,  'do  I  'fess  I  didunt  ketch  on  ter 
all  de  pints  in  her  arg-ifikashun.  One  pint  she 
made  'prest  me  power fil  much.  It  mout  not 
hurt  Marg-ie  so  much  ef  she  would  help  her  ole 
mammy  er  bit.  It  is  g-itting-  hard  fir  me  ter  liff 
and  tote  dem  big-  tubs  like  I  hez  ter  do,  fir  dey 
shuah  air  heavy.  I  uster  help  my  mammy  ter 
liff  hern.  Marg-ie  mout  do  a  little  ub  de  cookin' 
and  i'nin'  and  let  her  pore  mammy  rest  some.  I 


46  OVERSHADOWED. 


been  wuckin  so  hard  all  my  days  and  I  hez 
nebber  had  no  rest.  But  I  ain't  here  fir  much 
longer.  Prum  de  way  my  rheumatis  feels,  Je- 
sus will  be  callin'  me  soon."  Thinking-  thus, 
she  went  back  to  her  work.  As  she  labored, 
the  sweet  face  and  tender  brown  eyes  of  Erma 
were  peeping  up  through  the  soapsuds  and 
the  sight  thereof  made  her  happy  and  her  task 
the  lighter.  Strange  to  say,  and  perhaps  not 
strange  after  all,  her  mind  did  not  once  go  out 
to  her  own  daughter,  who,  in  company  with 
Ellen  Sanders,  was  stirring  up  the  entire  city 
against  an  orphan  girl  whose  only  offense  was 
that  she  had  decided  to  obey  theBible  injunc- 
tion to  labor  six  days  in  the  week. 


CHAPTER  V. 

WHAT  A  KISS.  DID. 
\ 

We  are  within  the  folds  of  night,  and  El- 
bridge  Noral  is  once  more  a  visitor  at  the  home  of 
Dolly  Smith.  We  have  the  same  dimly  lighted 
room  and  the  same  parties  to  the  conversation. 

"  Mrs.  Smith,"  began  Noral  very  excitedly, 
"I  come  to  ask  you  in  the  name  of  heaven  to 
prevent  a  catastrophe  and  to  unravel  a  puzzle 
that  racks  my  brain.  I  wish  for  you  to  prevent 
Erma  Wysong  from  becoming  a  servant  girl ; 
and  I  further  beg  of  you  to  tell  me  why  she 
seeks  to  become  one." 

"  Explain,  Mr.  Noral,  wherein  becoming  a 
servant  girl  is  such  a  catastrophe.  Is  not  work 
honorable?"  asked  Dolly,  in  evident  astonish- 
ment. 

'  Yes,  yes,  but  ah  !  the  atmosphere  surround- 
ing the  Negro  service  girl !  She  is  away  from 
her  own  people,  not  allowed  social  contact  with 
the  family  of  her  employer,  and  usually  resides 
in  solitude  in  a  little  house  in  the  back  yard, 
with  alleyways  as  the  only  approach.  Such  a 
state  of  affairs  puts  a  premium  on  male  com- 
panionship, which  may  be  ever  so  frequent,  or 

(47) 


48  OVERSHADOWED. 

at  improper  hours,  without  the  fear  of  any  ad- 
verse comment  thereon,  and,  in  fact,  without 
its  being*  known.  This  condition  of  thing's, 
as  mig-ht  reasonably  be  expected,  generates  a 
great  deal  of  immorality.  While  there  are 
service  g"irls  of  sterling"  worth,  a  bad  odor  at- 
taches to  the  calling-.  If  Erma  goes  into  serv- 
ice in  such  fashion,  the  very  atmosphere  will 
breed  insults  for  her.  White  youths  will  feel 
that  she  has  no  further  claims  to  respectability, 
and  will  proceed  to  deal  with  her  accordingly. 
So  much  for  the  catastrophe.  The  puzzling* 
thing-  to  me  is  as  to  wh}7  Erma  should  contem- 
plate such  a  course."  These  remarks  were  de- 
livered by  Noral  with  unwonted  energy. 

"Well,  Mr.  Noral,  Erma  simply  needs  money, 
I  presume,  to  supply  her  natural  wants  and 
satisfy  reasonable  and  legitimate  desire.  Such 
stations  as  her  talents  peculiarly  fit  her  for  are 
denied  to  her  because  she  is  a  Negro  g-irl. 
There  is  no  honorable  course  open  to  her  save 
the  one,  that  she  has  pursued.  Away  g-oes  the 
puzzle.  As  to  the  catastrophe,  Mr.  Noral,  opin- 
ions may  differ,  according-  to  the  view  point.  I 
fancy  that  I  see  in  her  determination  to  enter 
service  the  surest  means  to  the  accomplishment 
of  your  purpose." 

Noral's  face  betokened  a  wrathful  storm  ;  his 
voice  g-ave  sign  of  its  coming-. 


OVERSHADOWED.  49 

"Mrs.  Smith,  do  I  understand  you  to  intimate 
that  I  am  such  a  sensual  degenerate  that  I  am 
willing"  to  see  Erma  degraded  by  others  as  a 
sort  of  preparation  for  me  ?  " 

"  Be  calm,  Mr.  Noral.  My  meaning-  was  far 
from  that,  as  you  will  soon  discover.  My  plan 
of  action  is  as  follows  :  Now  that  Erma  is  de- 
termined to  enter  service,  you  select  a  place 
where  }rou  may  become  a  frequent  visitor  and 
can  contrive  to  see  Erma  without  exciting-  her 
suspicions  as  to  your  ultimate  purposes.  Erma 
is  one  of  the  purest  girls  in  the  world,  and  you 
must  first  establish  yourself  in  her  good  graces 
as  a  necessary  prelude  to  my  part  of  the  work. 
If  you  can  inspire  reg-ard,  I  will  g-ive  the  nec- 
essary downward  turn." 

"  A  capital  idea,  Dolly,  a  capital  idea  !  Now, 
let  me  see  where  Erma  mig-ht  gx>." 

"How  about  Mrs.  Turner  who  lives  adjoin- 
ing- you  ?  " 

*'  What !  "  said  Noral,  rising-  to  his  feet  hur- 
riedly. "Where  do  I  live?  Who  told  you 
where  I  lived?  "  he  said,  retreating-  from  Dolly 
as  he  spoke,  and  adjusting-  his  mask  to  his  face. 
Dolly  saw  at  once  that  she  had  committed  a 
monstrous  error,  and  was  much  perplexed,  for 
a  moment,  as  to  how  to  extricate  herself. 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  Mr.  Noral,  I  have 
known  who  you  were  from  the  very  first." 


50  OVERSHADOWED. 

"  Known  me  from  the  first  !  Have  you  had 
spies  tracking*  me,  you  she  devil?  " 

44  She  devil,  heh  !  she  devil!"  hissed  Dolly 
Smith  in  a  tone  that  was  full  of  venom.  Her 
head  shaking"  with  violent  emotion,  she  walked 
up  to  Noral  and  said  :  "She  devil,  did  you  say? 
But  who  made  me  a  she  devil  ?  Who  destroyed 
my  soul  ?  Who  first  started  me  on  the  damnable 
mission  of  polluting*  the  entire  stream  of  the  vir- 
tue of  my  race  ?  Who  did  this  ?  Will  you  tell 
me  ?  say,  will  you  tell  me  ?  Oh,  you  don't  know, 
do  you  ?  Well,  you  shall  know,  James  Benson 
Lawson  !  Yes,  you  shall  know  !  " 

L/awson's  anger  disappeared  in  his  surprise 
at  the  torrent  of  invective  that  Dolly  Smith 
poured  upon  him.  He  answered  not  a  word, 
but  stood  with  folded  arms,  looking  at  Dolly 
Smith.  He  discovered  that  he  had  a  tigress  to 
deal  with,  and  that  at  the  bottom  of  the  heart 
of  this  cold-blooded,  callous  schemer  there  were 
fires  as  hot  as  those  of  the  reputed  lower  re- 
g-ions,  and  it  did  not  take  much  fanning  to 
cause  them  to  blaze  up.  Then,  too,  her  remarks 
seemed  to  have  been  intended  for  him  individ- 
ually, and  were  not  mere  ravings  against  the 
world  at  large.  The  more  he  thought,  the 
more  puzzled  he  was.  Dolly  Smith,  after  this 
violent  outburst,  grew  very  calm,  and  inwardly 
chided  herself  for  having  allowed  her  temper 


OVERSHADOWED.  51 

to  perhaps  frighten  away  from  her  hook  a  fish  on 
whose  capture  all  the  soul  that  she  had  was  set. 
She  summoned  all  of  her  adroitness  and  cunning* 
in  an  endeavor  to  regain  lost  ground.  Pushing1 
open  the  folding-  doors,  and  disappearing-  in  the 
adjoining-  room,  she  returned  shortly,  bearing 
in  her  hand  a  photograph.  She  broug-ht  it  to 
Lawson  and  said,  "Here  is  the  spy  that  tracked 
you.  Go  look  at  it."  Lawson  took  it  to  the 
gaslight  and,  turning-  on  the  light,  examined 
the  picture. 

44  You  see  that  it  is  a  picture  of  your  father. 
As  Governor  of  this  State,  he  was  more  popu- 
lar with  the  colored  people  than  any  other  gov- 
ernor  before  or  since  his  time.  True,  he  is  a 
Democrat,  but  the  colored  people  love  him,  and 
his  picture  is  in  almost  every  Negro  home.  As 
soon  as  I  saw  you  the  other  night,  thoug-h  the 
room  was  dark,  I  recognized  the  likeness.  I 
knew  where  you  lived,  as  the  papers  have  been 
printing-  pictures  of  the  old  Lawson  Mansion 
as  it  has  been  repaired  to  receive  your  father, 
just  returned  from  his  post  as  minister  to  Ger- 
many. Now,  that  is  the  sort  of  spying  I  have 
done.  Don't  mistrust  me,  Mr.  Lawson.  Your 
honor  is  safe  in  my  hands.  I  hold  some  of  the 
most  terrible  secrets  of  your  most  noted  fami- 
lies in  this  city,  and  they  are  as  safe  with  me 
as  though  they  were  in  the  grave,  locked  in  the 
bosom  of  the  dead." 


52  OVERSHADOWED. 

Dolly  Smith  eyed  Lawson  keenly  as  she 
talked,  trying-  to  discern  the  impression  that 
her  words  were  making.  She  saw  that  she  had 
not  succeeded  in  reaching-  the  main  current  of 
his  thoug-hts  and  she  planned  another  effort. 

"  The  vigor  of  my  remarks  a  while  ag-o  nat- 
urally astonished  you.  Well,  I  was  once  a  pure 
g-irl  and  not  wholly  uneducated.  Nor  was  I 
homely,  either.  This  corpulence  has  come 
from  drinking*  excessively.  Well,  a  white  wo- 
man encompassed  my  fall.  She  taug-ht  me  to 
drink.  She  was  such  a  great  white  lady,  I 
thoug-ht  that  if  she  could  drink  I  could  do  so  as 
well.  I  g"ot  drunk  in  public  and  was  for- 
ever disgraced.  She  g-ot  drunk  frequently, 
but  the  newspapers  always  said  that  she  fainted 
or  was  attacked  with  nervous  prostration.  Her 
wealth  allows  her  to  maintain  her  social  stand- 
ing-, among*  her  people,  while  I  am  an  outcast 
among-  mine.  She  started  me  in  this  business.  I 
hate  her,  thoug-h  I  confess  I  g-et  a  great  deal  of 
fun,  excitement  and  money  out  of  my  profession. 
I  know  I  am  a  she  devil,  but  when  one  calls  me 
that,  I  g-et  angry  from  thinking-  of  that  woman. 
All  of  this  occurred  when  I  lived  in  another  ci-ty. 
My  previous  history  is  unknown  here." 

Lawson  was  profoundly  interested  in  Dolly 
Smith's  recital.  He  had  not  dreamed  that  a 
woman  so  depraved  ever  allowed  her  mind  to 


OVERSHADOWED.  53; 

wander  back  to  the  days  of  purity.  In  fact, 
he  did  not  conceive  of  her  ever  having"  had  such 
days.  Thus,  with  these  adroitly  constructed 
fabrications,  she  lulled  Lawson's  suspicions  to 
sleep. 

"Dolly  Smith,  I  beg"  your  pardon.  Don't 
you  know,  I  always  supposed  people  of  your 
type  were  born  destitute  of  moral  nature.  But 
I  begin  to  believe  that  humanity  at  its  worst  is 
not  as  bad  as  it  seems." 

Dolly  Smith  now  saw  that  she  had  recaptured 
him. 

"  All  rig-lit,  Dolly,  quarrelling-  aside,  let's 
g-et  down  to  business.  Let  me  see  ;  where 
were  we,"  says  Noral. 

"  My  idea  is  that  some  way  oug-ht  to  be 
found  to  have  Erma  Wysong-  in  the  employ  of 
Mrs.  Turner,  your  next  door  neig-hbor.  She 
has  no  male  member  in  her  family,"  put  in 
Dolly. 

"Yes,  but  she  has  a  servant,"  replied  Law- 
son. 

"  And  you  have  money.  The  servant  went 
there  for  money,  and  will  come  away  for  money. 
Pay  her  a  few  months'  wag-es  in  advance.  Ask 
her  to  g-et  Erma  Wysong-  and  take  her  to  Mrs. 
Turner's  to  fill  her  place,  and  the  work  is 
done,"  said  Dolly. 


54  OVERSHADOWED. 

"  Oh,  you  are  a  daisy,"  said  Lawson,  and  in 
his  excess  of  joy  at  the  prospective  success  of 
his  scheme,  he  seized  Dolly  Smith  about  the 
waist  and  kissed  her.  That  kiss  awakened 
every  demon  in  Dolly's  nature.  It  took  her 
mind  back  to  the  days  when  the  blue  of  her  sky 
was  interwoven  with  the  blackest  of  clouds, 
and  the  lig-htning-s  of  trouble  flashed  forth  there- 
from, ripping-  open  her  every  vein,  and  spilling- 
beyond  recall  all  the  blood  of  her  life.  And  she 
pledg-ed  in  her  soul,  shaking  like  a  decayed  and 
tottering-  building-  in  the  grasp  of  the  wind,  to 
crush  James  Benson  Lawson  in  her  fall. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

UP  TO  DATE  ARISTOCRACY  IN  A  NEGRO 
CHURCH. 

Erma  Wysong*  was  now  happily  located  at 
Mrs.  Turner's,  little  dreaming",  innocent  soul, 
of  the  motives  and  midnight  plotting's  that  had 
brought  her  there.  Ignorant  of  all  this,  she 
was  giving-  God  thanks  for  having-  secured  for 
her  such  an  ideal  place  of  service.  In  this 
happy,  joyous,  light-hearted  frame  of  mind,  she 
clads  herself  in  her  most  lovely  apparel  on  the 
Sabbath  and  g-oes  forth  to  church.  While  she 
is  on  her  way  there,  let  us  acquaint  ourselves 
with  the  preparations  made  to  receive  her. 

The  fact  that  Erma  Wysong-,  a  graduate  of 
the  High  School,  had  entered  service,  shocked 
the  Negro  population  of  the  city.  Educated 
members  of  the  race,  the  school  teachers, 
the  doctors,  the  lawyers  and  the  recent  g^irl 
graduates  were  eimply  enraged,  Ellen  Sand- 
ers and  Margaret  Marston  had  canvassed  the 
whole  city  and  had  persuaded  the  entire  circle 
of  educated  colored  persons  in  the  city  to  come 
out  to  Erma's  church  to  aid  them  in  giving-  her 
such  a  snubbing  as  had  never  as  yet  been  ad- 

(55) 


56  OVERSHADOWED. 

ministered  to  a  mortal.  This  was  their  ambi- 
tion's end  just  now,  the  complete  snubbing-, 
crushing1  of  Erma  for  "  throwing1  away  her  ed- 
ucation in  a  most  shameful  and  disgraceful 
way  by  going  to  work."  Their  plan  was  to 
have  the  educated  and  professional  people 
to  sit  together  in  that  section  of  the  church 
where  Erma  usually  sat ;  and  she  was  to  be 
thus  forced  out  of  her  seat  and  out  of  their 
midst.  If  by  any  means  she  got  a  seat  near  them 
they  were  to  get  up  in  a  bodv  and  move  to  an- 
other part  of  the  church.  So,  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing this  group  was  out  early  and  in  full  force. 
As  the  hour  of  the  service  drew  on  they  grew 
restless  from  thinking  over  the  stinging  rebuke 
that  they  were  about  to  administer  to  Erma. 
Ellen  Sanders  had  turned  her  head  and  should- 
ers completely  around  from  facing  the  pulpit 
and  her  large  flashing  eyes  were  keeping  guard 
on  the  door  so  that  she  might  see  Erma  when 
she  first  appeared  in  the  doorway. 

"There  she  is,"  said  Ellen,  flopping  herself 
around,  assuming  an  attitude  apparently  as 
stiff  and  immovable  as  a  granite  cliff. 

All  turned  to  look  and  then  snatched  their 
eyes  away  in  disdain.  Erma  came  forward  un- 
suspectingly, a  sweet  smile  upon  her  lovely 
face.  Her  glistening  black  hair  nestled  in 
lovely  coils  on  her  queenly  head.  Her  brown 


OVERSHADOWED.  57 

eyes,  resting  complacently  beneath  lovely  eye- 
brows, sparkled  with  a  quiet  glow  and  a  ten- 
derness known  only  to  the  innocent  and  happy 
at  heart.  Her  dress  was  a  flawless  fit  and 
brought  out  all  the  graces  of  her  divinely 
moulded  form.  This  pure,  blushing",  aspiring", 
orphan  girl  went  up  the  aisle  of  her  church  and 
stopped  opposite  her  accustomed  seat,  expect- 
ing" the  occupants  to  make  room  for  her.  In- 
stead of  doing"  this,  they  g"ot  closer  together. 

Erma,  astonished,  looked  about  her,  and  the 
angry,  scornful  looks  cast  at  her  caused  a  sting- 
ing sensation  in  her  face  as  thoug"h  it  had  been 
stuck  by  so  many  sharp  needles.  In  her  con- 
fusion she  mechanically  tried  to  enter  seat  after 
seat,  but  was  barricaded  out.  Finding"  it  to  be 
their  intention  to  prevent  her  from  sitting  any- 
where in  that  section  of  the  church,  she  went 
forward  to  the  "Amen  corner,"  and  finding  a 
vacant  seat  there,  she  sat  down. 

The  fact  that  Erma  Wysong,  a  servant,  had 
taken  an  "Amen  corner"  seat  in  the  Leigh 
Street  Church  stirred  the  group  to  fever  heat. 
Ellen  gave  a  faint  shriek  of  horror-— one  about 
the  size  to  express  righteous  indignation  in  a 
Christian  church  on  the  Sabbath  day.  A  Negro 
doctor  got  up  and  went  to  two  of  the  ushers 
and  said,  "  Sirs,  I  appeal  to  you  !  The  dignity 
of  this  church  is  outraged  !  Look  yonder 


58  OVERSHADOWED. 

where  that  servant  girl  sits  !  The  idea  !  This 
is  the  most  aristocratic  Negro  church  in  this 
city  and  yet  you  allow  that  girl  to  sit  there  !" 

"  We  didn't  know  that  she  was  going  to  sit 
there,"  said  an  usher,  obsequiously. 

"  Well,  now  you  know  it,  sir  !  Do  you  think 
that  the  white  folks  would  allow  a  white  serv- 
ant girl  to  sit  on  the  front  pew  in  their 
church  ?  We  shall  never  amount  to  anything 
as  a  race  until  we  learn  to  do  as  white  people," 
said  the  indignant  doctor. 

**  Well,  what  would  you  say  do,  doctor  ?  "  in- 
quired the  same  obsequious  usher. 

"What  do!  what  do!  Why,  what  would 
white  people  do  ?  Put  her  out  !  Put  her  out !  " 
exclaimed  the  doctor. 

The  ushers  nearly  tumbled  over  each  other 
to  get  to  Erma  to  do  what  they  supposed  white 
people  would  do  to  a  white  servant  girl  under 
similar  circumstances.  Between  these  two  ush- 
ers, Erma  was  escorted  out  of  the  church,  her 
face  burning  with  shame.  They  did  not  turn 
her  loose  until  she  was  full  on  the  sidewalk, 
when  they  -left  her,  returning  to  worship  the 
God  of  the  Nazarene  carpenter  lad. 

Erma  looked  up  and  down  the  street  in  a  lost 
sort  of  way.  A  single  pair  of  tears  came  into 
her  eyes  and  a  sob  was  forced  out  of  her  throat 
by  her  throbbing  heart.  Thoughts  of  her 


OVERSHADOWED.  59 

lonely,  unprotected  condition  in  the  world 
crowded  upon  her ;  visions  of  her  departed 
mother  floated  before  her  eyes  ;  the  thought  of 
being-  ejected  from  God's  house  in  seeming-  dis- 
grace came  down  upon  her  with  terrific  force 
and  the  poor  girl  sobbed  bitterly,  burying  her 
face  in  her  handkerchief.  She  felt  an  arm  steal 
around  her  neck  and  heard  a  voice  murmur, 
"Pore  chile,  pore  chile."  It  was  the  arm  and 
voice  of  Aunt  Mollie  Marston,  who  had  followed 
Erma  out  of  the  church. 

She  said,  '*  I  hearn  dat  nig-gah  doctah  tell  em 
ter  put  you  out  kase  white  folks  would  hab  dun 
it.  Now,  I  'grees  wid  you  fully,  Miss  Erm. 
We  is  lettin  dese  white  folks  teach  us  too  much. 
Our  church  hez  dun  away  wid  dem  good  ole 
soul-stirrin'  himes  in  which  my  soul  jes'  'peared 
ter  float  right  up  ter  God,  and  now  we  hez  g"ot 
a  choir  whut  sings  de  himes  which  gibs  de  feel- 
in'sof  white  people's  souls  which  ain't  alluslack 
ourn.  An'  our  elder  is  done  quit  preachin'  an' 
g-wine  ter  readin'  de  Gospil  ter  us,  an'  de  Speerit 
hes  firsaken  him.  An'  dey  hez  been  tellin'  us 
ter  do  lack  white  folks  an'  let  our  feelin's  stay 
damned  up,  wen  it  do  feel  so  g-ood  ter  let  um 
out.  An'  chile,  bless  yer  soul,  dey  doa'n'  let  me 
shout  at  church  fir  fear  white  folks  would 
laugh  at  'urn,  an'  fir  fear  dey  would  lose  de 
name*  ub  '  'Ristocrats.'  But,  bless  yer  soul, 
hunny,  I  shouts  at  home." 


60  OVERSHADOWED. 

So  saying-,  Aunt  Mollie  drew  her  arm  tighter 
about  Erma's  waist,  and  these  two  religious 
outcasts  went  marching-  home,  Erma  crying- 
and  Aunt  Mollie  sing-ing-  all  the  while, 

"  De  ole  time  relijun, 
De  ole  time  relijun, 
De  ole  time  relijun 
Am  good  ernuff  firme." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

REV.  JOSIAH  NERVE,  D.  D.  S. 

Erma  Wysong  was  sitting"  in  her  own  home 
on  the  following"  evening*  (her  employers,  Mrs. 
Turner  and  daughter,  having-  left  the  city  for 
a  vacation  of  a  few  days  duration),  lost  in  a 
reverie,  musing1  over  her  experience  on  the  Sun- 
day just  gone,  when  she  heard  a  sort  of  hesita- 
ting- knock  at  her  door.  She  went  to  the  door, 
opened  it,  and  found  standing  before  her  a  very 
dark  man,  low  of  stature,  of  medium  size, 
dressed  in  a  "Prince  Albert"  coat  and  vest 
that  had  "seen  better  days."  His  bow  legs 
were  incased  in  a  pair  of  linen  breeches  that  de- 
sired to  pass  for  white,  and  were  very  much 
wrinkled.  A  broad  grin,  that  showed  nearly 
all  of  his  teeth  and  well  nigh  shut  up  his  small 
eyes,  was  upon  his  face.  He  opened  his  eyes 
slowly  to  take  a  full  look  at  Erma,  and  the 
grin  depreciated  in  value  about  fifty  per  cent  (if 
its  value  depended  upon  its  size).  Satisfied 
with  the  result  of  his  inspection,  the  grin,  like 
the  cat,  came  back,  and  the  eyes  again  took  up 
their  abode  in  the  "partial  eclipse."  After 
grinning  at  Erma  a  length  of  time  sufficient, 

(61) 


62  OVERSHADOWED. 

as  he  thought,  to  impress  her  with  his  genial- 
ity, he  was  ready  to  announce  himself. 

"Huh,"  he  grunted  ;  tx  you-don't-know-me, 
do-you?"  said  he  in  the  deep  guttural,  roll- 
ing tone  so  generally  affected  by  a  certain  class 
of  Negro  preachers. 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  Erma,  "I  have  heard  you 
preach  on  several  occasions." 

"  Huh,"  he  grunted  again.  With  a  yet 
broader  grin  than  his  greeting  one,  he  asked, 
in  that  tone  which  was  never  known  to  for- 
sake him  (his  wife  states  that  he  even  snores  in 
that  tone),  "  What-is-my-name  ?  " 

41  Really,  I  have  forgotten  that." 

"Huh,"  he  grunted,  "  my-name-is-Rev.-Jo- 
siah-Nerve,-D.-D.-S."  His  grin  increased  in 
anticipation  of  the  effect  the  information  just 
imparted  was  to  produce. 

"  Will  you  not  come  in,  Rev.  Mr.  Nerve?" 

"  Huh,"  said  Rev.  Josiah  Nerve,  still  grin- 
ning broadly  and  walking  in,  lifting  his  feet  in 
his  walk  a  little  higher  than  do  ordinary  mor- 
tals. 

"  Take  a  seat,  please." 

He  sat  down,  taking  infinite  pains,  with  all 
due  deliberation,  to  arrange  his  coat  tails  so 
that  he  would  not  rumple  them  as  his  pred- 
ecessor in  the  ownership  of  them  had  already 
evidently  done  overmuch.  Holding  his  hat  in 


OVERSHADOWED.  63 

his  hand,  he  sat  staring-  at  Erma,  alternately 
lessening  his  grin  so  as  to  look,  and  his  look  so 
as  to  grin,  as  his  grin  ordinarily  closed  his 
eyes  nearly,  and  as  a  full  look  materially  reduced 
his  grin.  His  white  teeth  and  red  gums  man- 
aged to  keep  in  sight,  however,  during  the 
fiercest  of  the  fight  between  the  grin  and  the 
look.  Having  allowed  sufficient  time  for  his  ami- 
ability to  become  thoroughly  apparent  through 
these  facial  g3*mnastics,  he  began :  44  Miss-Wy- 
song,- 1-  have  -  come  -  to  -  sympathize  -  with  -  you, 
huh." 

4 'Thank  you,  Rev.  Mr.  Nerve.  On  account 
of  what  am  I  to  be  favored  with  your  sympa- 
thy ?" 

'*  Huh,-on-account-of-what-them-  blue  -  vein, 
educated-niggers-did-to-you^esterday . ' ' 

44  Let  me  understand  you,  please." 

' '  Huh.  In-that-church  -  out  -  of  -  which  -  you 
were-put  -  yesterday,  -  all  -  of  -  the  -  mulattoes, 
whose-skins-are-  such  -  that  -  their  -blue  -  blood 
shows, -have-decided-to-form-an-aristocracy.  If 
you-are-yellow-and-don't-work- any-with  -your 
hands, -you-are-all  -  right.  That  -  is  -  condition 
number-one.  If-you-are-black-and-don't-work 
any-with-your-hands-and-are-smarter-than-the 
whole-lot-of-them-blue  -  veiners  -  put  -  together, 
you-will-be-accepted-until-they-get  -  something 
on-you.  That-is-condition-number-two.  You 


64  OVERSHADOWED. 

were-light-enough-for-them,-but  -  you-  worked 
with-your-hands.  I-  did  -  not  -  work  -  with  -  my 
hands, -but-I-was-not-smart  -  enough.  So,  -  be- 
ing-black, -they-put-me-out." 

"  Put  you  out  ?  "  queried  Erma. 

"  Huh, -yes, -miss.  Before-you- was  -born,  -  I 
was-pastor-of-that-church.  That-blue-veined 
crowd-dumped-me,-huh." 

11 1  fear  that  you  are  prejudiced  against 
them  and  judge  them  harshly,"  interposed 
Erma.  "Surely  a  people  who  have  been  so 
sorely  oppressed  on  account  of  their  color  would 
not  dream  of  drawing  the  color  line  among 
themselves." 

* '  Huh, -huh,  -  miss,  -  you  -  don't  -  know.  The 
color-line-is  -  drawn  -  tighter  -  within  -  the  -  race 
than-ever-it-was-on-the-outside,-and-the  -  origi- 
nal-bony-fidy  (bona  fide)  -  members  -  of  -  the  -  race 
don't-draw-the-line.  It-is-the- first-time  -  that  - 1 
ever-knew-of-a-people-who-slipped  -  into  -  a  -  race 
through-a-back-door-sitting-on-the-  front  -  piazza 
and-hollowing-to-the-honest-born-chaps-  to  -  stay 
in-the-kitchen.  Well,-it-is-like-a-prison,-I  -  sup- 
pose. The  -  rascal  -  who-gets-in-there-for-com- 
mitting-the- worst  -  crime-is-the-leader-and-hero 
of-the-prison. 

"  I  am  sure  that  you  are  sour  over  some  un- 
pleasant experiences  with  certain  light-skinned 
people,  and  it  has  so  warped  your  judgment 


OVERSHADOWED.  65 

that  you  pass  a  severe  sentence  upon  the  entire 
class,  which  is  manifestly  unjust.  Pardon  me, 
but  I  would  much  prefer  the  discussion  of  some 
other  topic." 

'  *  Huh,  -  excuse-me-then.  Huh, -both  -  of  -  us 
having--been-put-out-by-that-blue-  vein  -crowd, 
I-had-a-f  ellow-f  eeling-.  Miss- Wysong-, -  I  -  want 
your-aid-in-a-little-matter. " 

"I  shall  be  pleased  to  serve  you  in  any  way 
that  lean." 

44  Huh, -thank-you, -miss.  My-congreg-ation-is 
made-up-of-all-the  -  shouting-  -  sisters  -  from  -  all 
the-other-churches,-who-have-been-driven-away 
by-manuscripts, -which-thing-s-they  -  hate-worse 
than-the- Apostle-Peter-  hated  -  the-rooster  -  that 
crowed-and-told-on-him.  I-preach-to-them-in-the 
g-ood-old-time-way.  I-have-never-quit-spreading- 
a-g-ood-supply-of-the-gravy  -  of  -feeling-  -  on  -  the 
g-ospel-biscuits-which-I-hand-down-every  -  Sab- 
bath. Because-I-won't-grieve  -  the  •  Spirit  -  by 
setting'-him-aside-for-a  -  manuscript,  -  the  -  other 
preachers-are-mad-at-me,  -and- won' t-let-me  -g-et 
D.-D.,-which-my-people-want-me-to-have." 

44  Pardon  me,  but  I  understood  you  to  say 
that  you  were  the  Rev.  Josiah  Nerve,  D.  D.  S." 

4  4Huh,-you-don't-understand  ;-D.-D.-S.-is-not 
D.D.  ,as-I-shall-presently-make-plain.  My-people 
kept-on-growling--about-my-not-having--a  -  title. 
Of-course,-I-had-no-learning-.  I-can  -  only  -  talk 

5 


66  OVERSHADOWED. 

straight-by-calling-one-word-at-a-time,  -  as  -  you 
must-have-noticed-already,-and-even-  at  -  that  -  it 
is-as-much-as-I-can-do-to-keep-my  -  tongue  -  from 
twisting-back-to-the  -  old  -  time  -  nigger  -  dialect 
which-I-spoke-for-thirty-years,-with-much-more 
pleasure-than-I-  do  -  this.  My  -  people  -  kept  -  on 
growling, -and-asking-me-if-  there  -  was  -  nothing 
they-could-do.  One-day -when-a-number-  of  -  us 
preachers-were-visiting  -  the  -  High  -  School,-  the 
teacher-asked-a-little-girl-to-conjugate-the  -  verb 
to-be-  in-Ivatin,-showing-off-before-us.  She-be- 
gan-like-this  :  "Sum,-es,  -  est."  I  -  am  -  good  -  at 
catching-on, -but-to-be-sure,  -  I-stood-around  -  the 
street-corner, -near-th is-  little  -  girl's  -  home  -  and 
Waited-until  -  she  -  came  -  from  -  school,  -  when  - 1 
asked-her-what-did-^ra-mean.  She-said-it-was 
the-Latin-verb-fo  be.  I-then-called  -my  -  church 
together,-and-told-them-that-there-  was  -  a  -  title 
Lhat-they-could-confer-upon-me.  By-a-unanimous 
vote,-my-church-conferred-upon-me  -  the  -  degree 
of-D.-D.-S.  That-is-D.D.,-/o-&?.  Now-I-often 
think-how-true-that-Scripture-is-which-says,  *  'A 
little-child-shall-lead-them. ' ' 

H}rma  could  not  repress  a  smile  of  amusement 
at  the  novel  and  ingenious  way  in  which  the 
Rev.  Josiah  Nerve  came  in  possession  of  the 
coveted  title. 

''Huh,"  continued  the  parson,  "  I-have-a-fine 
plan-for-getting-my-full-honors.  You-can-help 
me.  I-want-to-have-the-4S.  '-dropped. ' ' 


OVERSHADOWED.  67 

44 1  am  sure  you  do  not  expect  me  to  give  you 
the  degree  ?  " 

44  Huh, -no-no.  But-you-can-teach-me-English 
grammar, -geography, -and-the-alphabets-of  -  the 
Greek, -L/atin-and  -  Hebrew  -  languages.  With 
these-things,-I-can-wear-my-degree-with-dignity 
when-i  t-comes.  I-have-got-my-plan-laid-to-bring 
it.  You-see,-I-know-what-it-takes  -  to  -  scoop  -  a 
D.D.-from-the- very-best-nigger-colleges.  I-know 
one-preacher  -  who  -  got  -  his-degree-by-buying-  a 
barrel-of-salt-herrings-for-a-nigger-college,-  and 
sat  -  on-the-barrel-in-the-front-yard, -threatening 
to-take-the-barrel-of-herrings-home-in  -case  -  the 
trustees-did-not-give-him-the-degree.  My-plans 
are-more-dignified-than-that.  I've  -  got  -  them 
laid-and-I-want-you-to-help-me-to-be-  prepared 
for  -my-coming-honor . ' ' 

44  Rev.  Mr.  Nerve,  I  am  very  sorry  to  be  com- 
pelled to  tell  you  that  your  ambitions  are  in  the 
wrong  direction.  The  mere  attaching  to  your- 
self the  degree  will  not  make  you  the  equal  of 
the  white  preachers  whom  you  are  seeking  to 
imitate.  For  one,  I  very  much  question  the 
wisdom  of  the  system  of  degreeing  preachers, 
though  practiced  by  all  of  the  leading  white  in- 
stitutions of  learning.  Oh  !  Mr.  Nerve,  as  I 
have  had  occasion  to  remark  before,  we  must 
learn  to  quit  accepting  customs  as  good  and 
grand,  simply  because  the  white  people  have 


68  OVERSHADOWED. 

adopted  them.  They  are  but  human  and  can 
err,  even  in  a  body  as  a  race.  Aside  from  my 
convictions  as  to  the  uselessness  of  a  title  in 
your  case,  my  time  is  so  much  taken  up  with 
other  duties  that  I  would  not  have  the  time  to 
instruct  you.  But  let  me  impress  this  one  fact 
upon  you.  Your  ambition  should  sink  deeper 
than  merely  to  appear  and  be  esteemed  wise  and 
learned.  Degrees,  mere  outside  appendages, 
would  do  you  no  good." 

4 'Huh,  miss,-you-are-  young--yet.  Our-race 
has-been-so-severely  -  criticised  -  that-it-has-de- 
veloped  -the  -  f aculty-of  -  appearing-.  Our-f oiks 
will  -  f  org"ive  -  you  -  for  -not  -  being1  -  up-to  -  white 
folks,  but-a-man-that-can't-put-up-a-boldyro?^ 
has-no-f  orgiveness.  The-word-now-is,  4Be-what 
you-please,-but-don't-let-the- white-folks-know 
it. '  You-just-look-about-you-and-see-if-the-crit- 
icisms-of-the- white-people,  of  ten-unjust,  are-not 
developinof-the-f acult y  -of -deception-and- white- 
washing, -  just-  like-the  -  child-that  -is-  whipped 
the-most-for-its-f  aults  -  learns-to-hide-them-far 
quicker  -  than-to  -  correct  -  them .  No,  -no,  -  Miss 
Wysong-,  -a-covering'-will-do-for-me.  Nigg-ers 
can't-pull-off-the-covering-and-look-at-my-filthy 
rag's-  of -knowledge  -  because  -  they— don't-know 
enough  ;  -  and  -  white  -  people  -  can't,  -  because  -I 
ain't-  gxring-  -  to-  let  -them  -  g-et  -close  -  enoug-h  -to 
peep  -  under-my  -  covering-.  I-agree  -  with  -  you 


OVERSHADOWED.  69 

that-it-is-bad-that-our-people- want-every thing- 
just-like  -  white-  people.  That-is  -  what-makes 
me-have-to-hustle-to-get-D.  -D.  And-if-I-don' t 
g-et-it-somehow-bef  ore-too-long',  -my-people-will 
dump-me-just-like-them-blue-veiners-did. ' ' 

"  Oh  !  the  blue  veiners,  then,  are  not  the  only 
colored  people  desiring-  to  be  like  white  people. 
The  most  of  your  people  are  pure  blacks  and 
they  are  trying-  to  be  like  white  people,  too,  I 
understand." 

"Huh,  of-course.  That-is-what-makes-the 
blue-veiners-so-proud .  They-see-that-they-are 
near-and  -  nearing--the-place  -  where-the-  blacks 
are  -  almost  -  dying-- to  -  g-et-to.  Nowadays-you 
never-hear-of-two-coal-black  -persons-marrying- 
each-  other.  The  -  black  -  man-is  -  pushing-  -  the 
black- woman-aside-to-grab-the-yellow-woman  ; 
and-the-black- woman  is-pushing-the-black-man 
aside-to-grab-the-yellow-man.  I-know-a-num- 
ber-  of-  black  -  mothers  -  with  -  black  -  daug-hters 
that-have-s worn-they  -  will-poison-their-daugh- 
ters-if-they-attempt-to-marry- black-men.  Be- 
sides- don' t-  black-  women  -  with-short-  hair-rob 
horses'-tails, -billy- goats-and-  graveyards  -to-get 
hair-like-that-of  -  white-folks.  I-wish-a-sensible 
girl-like  -  you  -  would- join-  my  -  church-and  -  stop 
white-folks-ideas  -  f  rom-cropping-  -  in-faster-than 
we-f  ello  ws-can-keep  -up- with-them .  They-have 
g-ot-me-  out  -  now-hunting  -  for-a-  D.-D. ,  -  just  -like 


70  OVERSHADOWED. 

white-  folks,-  when  -  neither  -  me-nor-them-  know 
any-more  -  about  -  what-D.-D.  -  means  -  than-Sam 
Smith's-old-mule." 

"Seriously,  Rev.  Mr.  Nerve,  might  I  join 
your  church  ?  I  feel  that  I  owe  my  race  an 
apology  for  having"  somewhat  deserted  them. 
Because  their  language  was  broken  and  their 
customs  crude  and  queer,  I,  tog-ether  with  other 
members  of  my  race,  have  not  mingled  with 
them  as  much  as  we  should  have  done.  I  as- 
sure you  that  my  failure  to  do  so  was  not  due  to 
pride  nor  to  color  prejudice.  It  was  due  simply 
to  a  lack  of  similarity  of  tastes,  ideals,  habits, 
customs,  manner  of  speech,  etc.  I  think  that  a 
great  amount  of  what  you  class  as  color  preju- 
dice may  be  reduced  to  that,  after  all." 

'*  Huh, -huh, -huh, -Miss-  Wysong,- jcw-are-all 
right.  I-  have-  been-  watching-  -  you-for-  years. 
You-  always  -speak  -to-  us-  blacks  -  politely  -and 
never-  snub-us.  But-don't  -  you-  tell-  me-  about 
them-other-blue-veiners.  I-knows-um,-I-know 
them-  thar-  now,  -see-  how-my-  tong-ue-  g-its,-my 
tongue-gets-to-slippin',-to-slipping-some-times. 
It-is  -nothin'-  but  -  plum  -  nigger  -  foolishness  -to 
keep  -me  -  cramped  -  down-  to-all-  this-  grammar 
talk-I-am-doing.  If-  my-  people-  did-  not-insist 
upon-me-using-language-just-like- white-people 
I- would-  go-back  -  to-  the-  plain  -  nigg-er  -  dialect 
just-suited-to-a-big-mouth-and-stiff-tongue-like 
mine." 


OVERSHADOWED.  71 

"You  have  failed  to  answer  my  question, 
Rev.  Mr.  Nerve.  May  I  join  your  church  ?  " 

"  Huh,-bless-God,-}-es.  My-people-are-black, 
yet,  -as- 1  -  have-  made-  plain,  -  they  -like  -yellow 
folks.  You- are-  not-  exactly-yellow  ;  -  you-  are-a 
pretty-brown-skiii, -a-mighty-pretty-brown-skin. 
I-really-think-  what-makes-  blue-  veiners-so-aris- 
tocratic-  is-that-we-  blacks-like-  them,-  the-  white 
folks-like-them,-and-they-  like-themselves  ;-leav- 
ing-nobody-to-like-us-blacks.  If- we-  ever-turn-to 
liking-  -  black  -  faces  -  it  -  will-  only  -  be  -  after  -  the 
whites-turn-that-way.  The- whites-regulate-all 
of -our  -  tastes  -  even-  to-  telling-  us  -  who-  are-  our 
greatest  -men  -among-  -  us.  We  -  just-  won't  -  ac- 
knowledg-e-a-man-is-  great-until-  the-whites-have 
done-  so.  Our-  slave-  mammies-  had  -no-  thought 
f rom-morning--till-nig"ht,  -year-in  •  and  -  year  -  out, 
except  -  the  -  thought  -  of  -  pleasing-  -  master  -  and 
mistress.  I-g  uess-that-is-how-doing--every  thing 
to-please-white-people-became-  ingrained-  in  -  our 
nature.  You-will-know-more  -  about-  this-  when 
you-get-  to-be-a-  married-  woman-like-  I-am,-huh, 
huh. 

* '  Good-  day,-  Miss-  Wysongv  good  -day,  -  I-see 
you-  are-restless-and- tired  -of-an-old-  man's-gab. 
Remember-that-I-  have  -not-promised- you-that-I 
would  -  not-  be-a-D.  -D.  My-  plans-  are-  all  -laid. 
Remember-  you-are  -  to-  join  -my-  church.  Good 
day.  I-did-not-promise  -that-I- would-  not-  be  -no 
D.-D.,-huh,-huh-huh." 


72  OVERSHADOWED. 

Bowing-  and  grinning-  and  grunting-,  Rev.  Jo- 
siah  Nerve,  D.  D.  S.,  backed  out  of  the  door 
and  out  of  the  g-ate,  and,  hat  in  hand,  went 
strutting-  proudly  down  the  street,  not  forg-et- 
ting-  that  in  walking1,  his  feet  should  come  up  a 
little  hig-her  from  the  ground  than  do  the  feet  of 
plain  every  day  human  being's.  Poor  deluded 
soul,  contented  to  grasp  with  a  death  clutch  at 
the  shadow  of  Anglo-Saxon  civilization.  His 
brethren  are  many.  In  due  time  the  whole  city 
came  out  to  view  the  first  step  of  Rev.  Josiah 
Nerve,  D.  D.  S.,  toward  becoming-  Rev.  Josiah 
Nerve,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HE  NARROWLY   ESCAPED. 

Fire  !  fire  !  !  fire  ! ! !  Lurid  flames  leaping-  in 
their  mad  fury  through  the  roof  of  a  huge 
frame  church  building-  situated  on  Laurel 
Street  had  attracted  the  attention  of  a  Negro 
woman  who  had  a  basket  of  clothes  on  her  head. 
Putting-  the  basket  of  clothes  down  on  the  side- 
walk and  expanding-  her  chest,  she  had  thrown 
her  shoulders  back  and  was  screaming-  as  fast 
and  as  loudly  as  she  could  ;  for  it  was  the  edi- 
fice of  the  church  of  which' she  was  a  member 
that  was  afire.  She  was  a  poor,  unlettered  wo- 
man, but  next  to  God,  she  loved  her  church. 
Having-  to  labor  incessantly  from  before  day- 
light Monday  morning-  until  late  Saturday 
nig'ht,  and  having  neither  a  nice  dwelling-  nor 
costly  dresses,  about  her  only  pleasure  was  go- 
ing-  to  church  on  Sunday.  She  felt  that  here 
she  heard  directly  from  God  out  of  that  myste- 
rious book  on  the  stand,  doubly  dear  to  her,  be- 
ing- shrouded  in  mystery  and  containing-  glow- 
ing promises  of  coming-  joys.  Imag-ine  then  the 
horror,  excitement,  pathos,  despair,  astonish- 
ment that  this  Negro  woman  threw  into  her 

(73) 


74  OVERSHADOWED. 

screams  on  that  midday.  No  one  who  heard 
those  screams  ever  forgot  them.  Soon  the 
street  was  thronged  with  excited  spectators. 
As  fast  as  the  colored  "sisters  "  came  in  sight 
of  the  burning-  building  they  would  break  forth 
into  loud  piercing  screams. 

"  Good  Laws  a  mussy,  de  Lawd  am  lettin'  de 
house  ub  God  burn  up,"  said  one,  her  hands 
akimbo  on  her  hips,  her  eyes  bleared,  her  very 
soul  lost  in  amazement  at  such  a  sight. 

"  My  Lawd,  judgment  muss  shuah  dun  cum. 
You  had  better  pray,  sinners  !  "  shouted  another 
over  and  over  again  in  a  loud  voice. 

The  "  sister  "  who  had  first  screamed  ran  to 
the  front  door  and  threw  herself  violently 
against  it.  It  gave  way  and  she  dashed  down 
the  aisle.  She  thought  she  saw  a  long  tail  coat 
disappearing  out  of  a  rear  window.  She  had 
no  time  to  think  of  that,  however.  Her  mind 
was  intent  on  getting  the  pulpit  Bible.  She 
snatched  this  from  the  altar  and  started  for  the 
door.  A  burning  rafter  fell,  barely  missing  her 
head  and  striking  her  on  the  shoulder,  disloca- 
ting her  arm.  The  Bible  was  knocked  out  of 
her  hands.  One  of  the  firemen  who  had  now 
arrived  on  the  scene,  hearing  that  a  woman  was 
in  the  burning  building  ran  in,  in  order  to  res- 
cue her.  He  caught  her  by  the  dislocated  arm 
and  was  pulling  her  along,  giving  her  ex- 


OVERSHADOWED.  75 

eructating*  pain.  She  said  to  the  fireman,  "Lem- 
me  go.  Git  de  Bible.  Save  de  Wurd  ub  God. 
Savede  Wurd." 

"The  Wurd  be  blanked,"  said  the  irate  fire- 
man. Come  along  or  you  will  burn  up,  old  wo- 
man." The  oath  from  the  lips  of  the  fireman 
erased  every  thought  of  the  fire  from  her  mind. 
She  forgot  the  Bible.  Her  excitement  was  all 
gone.  She  was  wondering-  to  herself  how  a 
human  being-  could  speak  so  slightly  about  the 
Bible. 

"Dese  white  folks  is  er  sight.  I  kain't  see 
how  dey  ken  eber  'speck  to  git  ter  hebun.  Dat 
feller  done  'saulted  my  rebrunce  fur  de  Bible. 
Dey  is  enuf  ter  spile  eny  body's  'ligion.  Ef  nig- 
gers stay  heah  in  dis  country  wid  dese  cole 
hearted  white  folks  we  woan  hab  no  'ligion 
'tall."  Such  were  her  inward  musings,  and  that 
too,  without  a  knowledge  of  the  higher  critics. 
The  fire  had  no  more  interest  for  that  "sister." 
She  was  thinking  of  that  other  and  hotter  fire 
sure,  as  she  thought,  to  get  the  irreverent  fire- 
man who  could  "cuss  a  Bible  in  a  burnin' 
church." 

The  crowd  swelled,  the  "sisters"  screamed, 
the  fire  raged,  the  firemen  worked  valiantlv  but 
all  to  no  avail.  The  flames,  glad  at  being  turned 
loose  in  the  world  once  more,  refused  to  release 
their  grasp  and  insisted  on  licking  up  into  their 


76  OVERSHADOWED. 

million  insatiable  little  mouths  every  piece  of 
timber.  Just  before  the  walls  crumbled  Rev. 
Josiah  Nerve,  D.  D.  S.,  came  dashing  into  the 
crowd.  The  "  sisters  "  all  gathered  around  the 
parson  for  he  was  their  "parster."  He  put 
his  handkerchief  to  his  eyes  as  though  the 
sight  was  too  sad  to  behold.  With  his  face 
buried  in  his  handkerchief,  his  lips  were  mov- 
ing, giving  voice  to  the  sentiments  of  his  heart. 
"Thank  God!  ThankGod!  or  the  devil  even!!" 

The  excitement  over,  the  crowd  dwindled 
down,  leaving  the  ashes  to  the  parson  and  the 
"sisters,"  the  brethren  being  at  their  work. 

"Elder  Nerve,  look  at  de  bottom  ub  yer 
pants'  leg."  The  parson  looked  down  and  saw 
a  large  rent  made  in  his  pants  and  a  wide- 
spread stain. 

"Dat  surely  is  kerosene  oil,"  said  another 
"sister." 

Parson  Nerve  now  exhibited  an  unwonted  de- 
gree of  confusion.  The  "sisters"  attributed  it, 
however,  to  the  embarrassment  of  the  parson 
at  having  his  spick  and  span  attire  disarranged 
by  a  snag  and  an  oil  stain. 

"  Whar  did  you  git  it?"  said  another  "  sis- 
ter," stooping  to  look  at  it. 

1 '  Huh,  ah,  -I-  could  -  not  -  say,  -  ay,  -  Sister 
Jones,"  said  the  parson,  again  on  his  dignity. 


OVERSHADOWED.  77 

"  Whar  wuz  you  wen  our  house  got  kotched 
^r  fire,  Elder  ?  "  The  parson's  dignity  suffered 
a  considerable  collapse  again.  "Huh!- Ah'! 
Huh,-  huh,-  let-  me-  see.  Why,  -  sister,  -I-  am-  so 
troubled  -  about  -  our  -  house  -  of  -  worship  -  that 
my  -  memory  -  is  -  sort  -  of  -  affected  -  that  -  quick. 
Huh!  -ah!  -huh  !  Don't-think-about-me, -sisters, 
think-of-your-church  !  What-are-we-to-do-about 
that?"  Much  to  Parson  Nerve's  relief  the 
"sisters"  turned  to  the  discussion  of  that  theme, 
the  greatest  on  earth  to  them.  They  began 
thus  early  to  lay  plans  for  their  future. 

Parson  Nerve  soon  found  a  way  of  absenting 
himself  from  the  group  and  repaired  to  his 
study  where  he  secluded  himself.  "  Ha  !-ha  ! 
ha  !  "  laughed  he  in  his  deep  resounding  voice. 
* '  I-  have  -got-  them-  on-  the  -  hip  -  now.  I've-  got 
them, -ha  !-ha  !-ha  !  I-have-been-a-sly-slick-duck, 
sure.  There  -  are  -  now  -  forty  -  four  -  fine  -  brick 
churches-owned-by-Negroes-in-this-city.  They 
are-very-fine, -but-mine-shall-be-finer, -finer, finer, 
ha  !-ha  !-ha  !  I-have-  been-a-  slick-  duck.  The 
other-preachers-  thought-I-  couldn't-  build, -but-I 
was-  waiting-  until-  the-last-  of-  them  -  built,  -so-I 
could-  beat-  them-all.  Oh  !-I-  knew  -I-  would-get 
old-Spalding.  I-  will-  show-  him-  what-Old-Man 
Nerve-can-do.  Won't  -he-  rave-when-he-  sees-my 
church-  going-up-  finer-than-  his  ?  He-  beats-the 
balance, -but-I'll-beat-him.  Not-only- will-I-beat 


78  OVERSHADOWED. 

tne-nig-g-ers,but-I-shall-also-beat-the-  white-folks. 
I-shall-then  -have-  the-finest-  church-  house-in-the 
city,-white-or-colored.  Ninetvthousand-dollars 
will-be-the-cost.  Then,-  Good-  God  !  Then-I'll 
g-et-my-D.-D.  Not-a-nig-g-er-colleg-e-in-the- world 
will  -  refuse-me-D.-D.,-  when-I-  finish  -a-  building- 
that-costs-that-  much.  Oh,-I-knew- 1-  would-get 
old-Spalding-.  He-is-only-a-B.-D.  But-I- will-be 
a-D.-D.,-Rev.-Josiah-Nerve,-D.-D.  No-more-'S.' 
Well, -I-  deserve-it.  Few-  men-  would-  have-  had 
the-grace-to-wait-  until-all-  the-other-  chaps-were 
done.  And,-then,-think-of- the-risk-I-ran-in-g-et- 
ting--that-old-house-out-of-the-way.  Let-me-look 
at-that-statute-ag-ain. " 

Going-  to  his  desk  the  parson  opened  a  code  of 
criminal  laws  and  turned  to  the  desired  place. 
' 4  Arson  -  from- 1 wo-to  -  twenty  -  years  -  in-the 
penitentiary,  -two-to-twenty,  -two-to-twenty. 
Now,-  who  -on-  earth-  would-say-  that- a-  man 
who-would -run  -such-a-risk  -for-a-  house-for 
God-oug-ht-not-to-  have-D.-D.  ,-D.  -D.  ,-D.-D. , 
Rev.-Josiah-Nerve,-D.-D, 

"  Come  in,"  said  Parson  Nerve,  in  response 
to  a  knock  at  his  study  door. 

A  policeman  stepped  into  the  parson's  study. 
The  parson  dropped  into  a  chair  quickly  and 
hid  his  torn  pants'  leg-  behind  the  other,  that 
grin  of  his  entirely  g-one  for  once.  The  police- 
man failed  to  observe  the  parson's  hiding-  one 


OVERSHADOWED.  79 

leg-  behind  the  other.  He  began,  "Parson, 
somebody  burned  your  church  house  down.  We 
know  that  you  and  your  people  are  much 
grieved  about  it  and  would  like  to  apprehend 
the  scoundrel.  I  came  to  tell  you  that  we  are 
on  his  track."  The  parson  looked  at  the  po- 
liceman but  could  not  speak.  He  saw  a  gulf 
opening  its  yawning*  jaws  to  receive  him  and  he 
could  not  even  hollow.  He  stole  a  glance  at  the 
open  code. 

44  Yes,"  continued  the  policeman,  <4  we  shall 
get  him  before  night.  They  are  measuring-  his 
tracks  now  from  the  rear  window  of  the  church 
out  of  which  some  one  caught  a  glimpse  of  him 
jumping.  A  bloodhound  from  a  near  by  city 
will  be  brought  over  on  the  five  train  and  he 
will  certainly  run  him  down."  The  policeman 
looked  over  to  Rev.  Josiah  Nerve  to  hear  him 
express  sentiments  of  gratification  at  the  vigi- 
lance of  the  police  and  the  bright  prospect  of 
the  early  capture  of  the  criminal.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Nerve  looked  at  the  policeman  stupidly, 
frozen  with  fear. 

"  See  here  !"  said  the  policeman,  drawing  a 
bit  of  torn  cloth  from  his  vest  pocket  and  hold- 
ing it  up  to  view.  "This  is  a  piece  of  his  pants' 
leg.  When  he  is  found  this  will  identify  him 
beyond  question.  We  found  this  hanging  to  a 
nail  in  a  fence  by  which  he  must  have  run  in 


80  OVERSHADOWED. 

making*  his  escape."  Rev.  Josiah  Nerve 
neither  spoke  nor  moved.  He  pressed  the  torn 
pants'  leg*  harder  against  its  protector. 

The  policeman,  anxious  to  secure  some  ex- 
pression of  elation  from  Rev.  Josiah  Nerve,  and 
disappointed  that  he  had  not  thus  far  secured 
such,  said,  "  Prom  the  way  the  people  are 
talking",  if  the  scamp  is  caught  he  will  be 
lynched.  The  white  people  like  you  and  your 
church.  Yours  is  the  only  congregation  in 
town  that  has  not  joined  the  craze  to  have 
churches  finer  than  those  of  the  white  people. 
Thus  they  think  well  of  you  and  are  sorry  for 
your  misfortune.  I  am  a  policeman  sworn  to 
uphold  the  majesty  of  the  law,  but  I  will  join  a 
mob  to  help  lynch  the  scoundrel  that  burned 
your  church  down.  Well,  I  see  you  are  too 
grieved  to  discuss  the  matter.  Good  day,  par- 
son," said  the  policeman,  rising"  to  gx>. 

Rev.  Josiah  Nerve  felt  a  little  strength  re- 
turn and  he  manag-ed  to  say  to  the  policeman,  in 
a  husky  tone,  "Good  day,"  and  sotto  voce, 
11  Good  by."  The  policeman  walked  away 
musing1  to  himself,  **  Surely  nig-g-ers  must  have 
an  immense  amount  of  relig-ion  or  of  something-. 
Now,  that  darkey  preacher  is  so  grieved  about 
that  plag-uy  barn,  that  he  can't  talk." 

While  the  policeman  was  thus  musing-  as  he 
walked  along-,  Rev.  Josiah  Nerve  was  packing-  a 


OVERSHADOWED,  gl 

valise.  In  the  middle  of  that  afternoon,  some 
farmers  not  far  distant  from  the  city,  saw  a 
man  wearing*  a  long"  tail  coat,  which  was  slap- 
ping- at  the  wind,  his  hat  in  one  hand  and  a  va- 
lise in  the  other,  making-  for  the  woods  at  a 
rapid  rate.  Rev.  Josiah  Nerve,  D.  D.  S.,  was 
not  heard  from  in  Richmond  ag-ain.  Perhaps  he  at 
last  succeeded  in  dropping-  the  despised  "S," 
and  lost  his  identity  in  the  numerous  throng-  of 
the  veneered. 

The  tragic,  not  the  humorous  in  the  experi- 
ences of  Rev.  Josiah  Nerve,  appealed  to  Erma. 
Had  she  even  then  a  premonition  that  she,  too, 
had  been  sing-led  out  by  the  wheels  of  the  Jug-- 
g-ernaut ;  that  she,  too,  was  to  be  the  epitome 
of  all  that  was  trag-ic  in  the  attempts  of  the 
Negro  and  Ang*lo-Saxon  to  journey  side  by 
side  on  the  terms  elected  ? 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   PIT   IS   DUG. 

Night  again,  and  at  the  home  of  Dolly  Smith. 
Dolly  Smith  and  James  B.  Lawson,  alias  El- 
bridge  Noral,  feel  that  they  know  each  other 
now,  and  the  gas  jet  is  turned  full  on.  The 
room  is  supplied  with  furniture  of  a  most 
costly  and  gorgeous  sort.  Lawson,  fresh  from 
a  home  of  magnificence,  is  dazzled  by  the  splen: 
dor  of  Dolly  Smith's  parlor. 

"  Dolly,  you  are  certainly  finely  fitted  up, 
finely  !  I  must  say  that  I  have  not  seen  better." 

"  It  ought  to  be  fine,  Mr.  Lawson.  It  is  the 
price  that  was  paid  for  the  virtue  of  my  race. 
How  are  matters  progressing  with  you  and 
Erma  now  ? 

"Slowly,  Dolly,  slowly." 

"  Have  you  gotten  an  opportunity  to  speak 
to  her  yet?" 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  see  her  and  converse  with  her 
nearly  every  day." 

"  Do  you  call  that  progressing  slowly  ?  " 

"Yes,  and  dangerously  slow.  You  see,  my 
excuse  for  calling  at  Mrs.  Turner's  is  to  see 
Pranzetta  Turner,  her  daughter,  while  my 

(82) 


OVERSHADOWED.  83 

reason  is  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  Erma.  Now,  if 
I  keep  on  going*  to  see  Miss  Turner  as  regu- 
larly as  I  have  been,  why,  I  will  just  have  to 
propose  marriage  to  her.  There  will  be  no 
way  for  me  to  back  out.  And  I  did  not  bar- 
gain for  all  that.  So,  you  see,  I  am  interested 
in  matters  coming  to  a  crisis  for  a  twofold  rea- 
son. First,  my  soul  is  lost  to  Erma  Wysong, 
and  will  never  be  found  until  I  have  her  love 
and  devotion.  Secondly,  I  am  not  overanxious 
to  fall  into  the  clutches  of  Old  Maid  Pran- 
zetta." 

"  How  did  you  happen  to  get  so  many  con- 
versations with  Erma  ?  Explain  the  situation 
to  me  fully,  so  that  I  may  know  the  next  step 
for  you  to  take,"  Dolly  Smith  said.  She  now 
concentrated  her  soul  in  her  sight  and  ears. 
The  realization  of  her  life's  purpose  depended 
upon  the  depth  of  the  passion  of  the  man  before 
her.  As  L/awson's  evil  genius  would  have  it, 
he  chose  this  woman  of  all  other  people  on 
earth  to  whom  to  tell  the  story  of  his  love. 

L/awson  ran  his  hands  through  his  gold  col- 
ored locks  of  hair,  bowed  his  head  as  if  in  med- 
itation, and  began  his  recital,  more  as  a  man 
musing  to  himself  than  as  one  talking  to  an  au- 
ditor. Therefore  he  held  nothing  back. 

"Well,  Dolly,  it  was  this  way.  A  few  days 
after  Erma  Wysong  went  to  Mrs.  Turner's,  I 


84  OVERSHADOWED. 

called  over  there,  ostensibly  to  see  Miss  Fran- 
Zetta  Turner,  but  in  reality  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  Erma.  I  spoke  to  Miss  Turner  in  the  midst 
of  our  conversation  as  follows  : 

"  '  Miss  Turner,  my  barber  tells  me  that  your 
servant  girl  is  a  belle  in  Negro  society,  and 
has  occasioned  about  as  much  ado  among*  her 
people  by  becoming"  a  servant  girl  as  your  en- 
tering- a  factory  to  work  would  do  among-  us.' 

"'Is  that  true,  Mr.  Lawson?  If  she  is 
a  belle,  she  is  a  worthy  one.  I  would  g-ive  a 
million  for  her  form.  It  is  symmetry  itself.' 

"'You  underrate  your  own  charms,  and 
overrate  those  of  your  servant,'  is  the  unpar- 
donable lie  that  escaped  from  my  lips,  after 
sticking1  to  my  throat  for  a  century,  it  seemed. 

"'Oh,  don't  attempt  to  flatter  me  by  any 
such  outrag-eous  comparisons,  Mr.  Lawson. 
For  beauty,  I  am  not  to  be  mentioned  in  the 
same  breath  with  that  girl.'  This  expression 
was  so  true  that,  upon  my  word,  I  could  not 
dispute  with  my  tongue  that  which  my  heart 
acknowledged  with  every  throb.  I  sat  in  si- 
lence, eager  for  more  words  of  praise  of  Erma. 
*  And,  strange  to  say,'  she  continued,  'the  girl 
is  so  charming  in  mind  and  manner.  She  has  a 
smile  that  somehow  reveals  all  the  sweetness 
there  is  in  her  soul.'  I  cursed  my  soul  for  that 
luck  that  had  robbed  me  of  one  of  those  smiles. 


OVERSHADOWED.  85 

1  She  has  so  many  ways  of  arranging-  that 
glossy,  black  -hair.  Every  way  she  changes 
it  makes  her  appear  more  beautiful.  Of  course, 
the  thread  of  her  hair  is  a  little  coarse.'  I 
could  have  slapped  Miss  Franzetta  for  even 
intimating  that  coarse  hair,  such  as  Erma 
had,  was  a  defect.  '  And  the  girl  plays  su- 
perbly.' I  could  stand  it  no  longer.  I  should 
have  been  destroyed  by  the  process  of  spontane- 
ous combustion  if  I  had  not  said,  '  Invite  her  in 
and  let  her  play.' 

"  Miss  Turner  looked  at  me  inquiringly,  to 
see  if  I  really  intended  that  she  should  call  the 
Negro  girl  to  entertain  us.  Intend  it  !  Of 
course  I  intended  it.  Was  not  that  why  the 
girl  and  I  both  were  there  ?  I  repeated  my  re- 
quest, hiding  my  emotion,  of  course.  The 
greatest  currents  of  the  human  heart,  whether 
good  or  bad,  seek  subterranean  passages.  Miss 
Turner  rose  to  call  Erma,  and,  wretch  that  I  am, 
I  actually  muttered  a  prayer  of  thanks  to  God. 
Erma  followed  Miss  Turner  into  the  room, 
and  smiling  such  a  smile  as  actually  lighted 
that  whole  room,  she  made  me  forget  every- 
thing else.  I  arose  to  be  introduced.  Erma 
looked  just  as  much  at  home  and  as  unembar- 
rassed as  though  she  had  been  accustomed  to 
such  scenes  all  her  days. 

"'Mr.  Lawson,  let  me  present  to  you  Miss 
Erma  Wysong.' 


86  OVERSHADOWED. 

444  The  son  of  the  popular  Ex-Governor  of 
our  State  ?  '  asked  Ernia  of  Miss  Turner. 

44  4  It  is  he/  was  the  reply. 

44  Erma  then  came  toward  me  and  gave  me 
her  hand.  Her  touch  thrilled  me,  and  I  actu- 
ally could  not  return  her  greeting1,  4I  am 
pleased  to  know  you,  Mr.  Lawson.' 

44  4  Mr.  Lawson  wishes  you  to  play  some  for 
us,  Erma.' 

44Erma  looked  at  me,  and  I  nodded  slowly, 
as  I  did  not  care  for  her  to  lift  those  tender 
brown  eyes  away  from  me  too  soon.  Seeing- 
that  it  was  my  wish,  Erma  went  at  once  to  the 
piano.  Erma  did  not  play.  No  !  such  music  as 
she  g-ave  was  not  playing.  She  just  dropped 
bits  of  her  heart  and  soul  on  that  keyboard, 
and  the  keys  cried  out  in  sympathetic  tones,  and 
we  sat  and  listened  in  awe.  Since  that  time  I 
have  wondered  why  people  can  say  play  music. 
Music  is  too  serious  a  matter  to  be  called  play. 

44  Dolly,  that  g-irl  has  a  load  of  some  sort  on 
her  heart  !  Lover-like,  I  took  it  to  be  the  cry 
of  a  bird  for  its  mate,  and  I  said  all  through 
the  piece,  4  Here  am  I.'  When  she  was  throug-h, 
she  politely  bowed  and  left  the  room — without 
a  word.  I  did  so  much  wish  it  had  been  Miss 
Pranzetta  to  g-o  out.  After  that  day  I  had  Miss 
Pranzetta  to  call  Erma  in  as  often  as  I  could 
without  arousing*  suspicion.  Often  Miss  Pran- 


OVERSHADOWED.  87 

zetta  would  have  occasion  to  leave  the  room  on 
some  errand  or  other,  and  then  Erma  would 
have  to  talk  to  me.  I  would  just  sit  and  listen 
to  her  talk  and  gaze  into  the  depths  of  her  soul- 
ful eyes. 

"  Now,  Dolly,  that  is  as  far  as  I  have  ever 
gotten.  It  seems  to  me  that  all  unholy  thoughts 
die  in  her  presence.  There  is  something-  in  the 
very  atmosphere  around  her  that  has  the  effect  of 
destroying  the  very  germs  of  evil.  I  have  been 
told  that  white  men  have  no  hesitancy  about 
making  improper  approaches  to  just  any  col- 
ored woman,  as  there  is  no  way  for  insults  to 
be  avenged.  For,  if  a  Negro  murdered  a  white 
man  of  standing  for  any  such  cause  as  insult- 
ing a  Negro  woman,  he  would  be  tynched.  Not- 
withstanding this  immunity  of  the  white  man 
from  punishment  and  the  protection  of  the  mob 
spirit  accorded  him,  I  would  like  to  see  the 
white  man  with  the  smallest  instinct  of  the 
gentleman  who  could  wrongfully  approach  that 
girl.  You  won't  find  the  man  this  side  of  the 
lower  regions  that  can  look  into  those  tender, 
brown  eyes,  and  feel  the  loving  warmth  of  the 
pure  soul  that  they  bring  forth,  and  then  part 
his  lips  in  an  attempt  to  besmirch  such  inno- 
cence. The  way  for  a  woman  to  keep  pure 
is  to  be  pure.  It  is  an  atmosphere  that  man 
knows  not  how  to  enter. 


88  OVERSHADOWED. 

44  By  heavens,  Dolly,  I  can't,  I  can't.  I  just 
can't  say  the  word.  And  yet,  love  for  that 
girl  is  consuming  my  soul.  If  I  could  only  get  a 
word  of  love  !  If  she  would  only  kiss  me  once  ! 
If  she  would  but  stroke  my  hair  tenderly — but 
— ah,  Dolly,  I  am  a  lost  man  !  " 

Lawson  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  his 
frame  shook  with  the  violence  of  his  emotions. 
Dolly  Smith  stood  over  him  and  looked  the  ti- 
gress that  she  was,  about  to  spring  upon  her 
prey.  She  repressed  all  these  feelings  of  exul- 
tation, and  taking  a  seat,  said,  "  Cheer  up,  Mr. 
Lawson.  I  have  discovered  a  sure  plan  of  ac- 
tion." 

Lawson  remained  in  the  same  despondent  at- 
titude, saying,  "Dolly,  I  can't  carry  out  the 
plan  after  you  propose  it." 

**  You  won't  have  to  carry  it  out,"  replied 
Dolly. 

**  Who,  then,  will?"  said  Lawson,  raising 
his  head  quickly,  and  flashing  fire  from  his 
eyes. 

44  Be  cool  Mr.  Lawson,  be  cool.  Erma  shall 
be  your  friend  and  the  friend  of  none  other.  I 
am  Dolly  Smith,  and  my  word  never  fails.  My 
plan  is  simply  this  :  If  you  can't  approach 
Erma,  Erma  must  approach  you." 

44  Erma  approach  me!"  bawled  Lawson, 
excitedly. 


OVERSHADOWED.  89 

4 'Calm,  now,  calm.  Yes,  Erma  shall  ap- 
proach you." 

"  How  is  that  to  be,  Dolly?  I  am  sure  you 
are  crazy,  but  then  go  ahead." 

44  We  shall  see  who  is  crazy.  Erma  is  to  be 
brought  to  sin  through  poverty.  We  must  in 
a  most  merciless  manner  drive  her  to  want ;  if 
need  be,  drive  her  to  the  very  door  of  starva- 
tion. Open  but  one  door  for  her  to  walk  out, 
and  let  that  be  the  door  of  sin.  She  will  be 
less  than  human  if  she  fails  to  come  out.  Set 
riches  before  her,  and  there  can  be  no  failure." 

44  That  would  be  terrible.  I  would  hate  to 
see  the  poor  girl  suffer  so." 

44  Very  true.  But  it  will  be  better  for  her 
in  the  end.  Your  love  will  sustain  her  and 
your  money  support  her  while  she  lives.  She 
well  might  climb  the  rugged  side  of  the  moun- 
tain for  the  sake  of  the  glimpse  of  glory  from 
its  crest." 

44  Well,  what  is  your  plan,  Dolly?"  asked 
Lawson. 

4  4I  shall  present  the  details  to  you  in  a  few  days. 
Do  not  be  uneasy.  I  pledge  you  solemnly  that 
they  shall  bring  Erma  to  her  knees.  Remember 
that  Erma  is  a  woman,  and  that  it  is  not  impossi- 
ble to  get  a  woman  to  do  as  her  mother  and  grand- 
mother did.  She  is  no  angel.  Now,  all  that  you 
are  to  do  for  the  present  is  to  see  Erma  alone 


90  OVERSHADOWED. 

once  more  if  you  can,  and  say  to  her  :  '  Miss  Wy- 
song,  if  ever  you  need  a  friend,  remember  me.' 
That  is  all  that  you  are  required  to  do  in  the 
matter  now.  You  shall  hear  from  me  soon." 

"Well,  good  night,  or  day,  rather,  now,  Dolly. 
This  is  a  terrible  business,  but  I  suppose  it 
can't  be  helped." 

"Goodnight,  or  day,  whichever  it  is,  Mr. 
Ivawson." 

When  Mr.  Lawson  was  gone,  Dolly  Smith 
began  at  once  to  indulge  in  her  dance  of  joy. 
She  was  more  jubilant  than  ever,  and  danced 
until  she  was  thoroughly  exhausted  and  fell 
down  on  the  floor.  Had  her  exhaustion  ended 
in  death,  our  story  would  have  been  different. 

Erma  was  at  Mrs.  Turner's,  faithfully  per- 
forming her  work  and  ingratiating  herself  in  the 
heart  of  her  employer.  She  was  happy  and 
prosperous.  The  pendulum  chooses  the  high- 
est point  of  its  journey  as  the  proper  place  to 
turn  back. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    VICTIMS. 

"John  Wysong,  you  will  please  call  at  my 
office  at  the  noon  hour." 

The  foreman  of  the  Bilgal  Iron  Works,  a 
white  man,  addressed  these  words  to  John  Wy- 
song', Erma's  brother,  at  work  in  these  shops 
as  you  have  been  told.  John's  heart  gave  a  joy- 
ous bound,  as  he  felt  sure  that  he  would  be  in- 
formed that  he  had  been  reported  on  account  of 
the  splendid  record  he  had  worked  so  hard  to 
make.  John  had  received  enough  of  Erma's 
confidence  to  guess  the  remainder  of  her  secret, 
and  he  was  working  doubly  hard  to  make  a  good 
record  and  to  receive  a  promotion  so  that  he  could 
earn  money  the  faster  to  pay  off  the  mortgage 
on  their  little  home,  sell  it,  and  let  Erma  go  off 
to  school  by  means  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale. 
The  mortgage  was  now  overdue,  but  the  holder 
was  a  kind-hearted  man,  well  known  to  John's 
father  and  mother,  and  no  uneasiness  was  felt 
on  that  score.  But  John  and  Erma  were  very 
anxious  to  pay  it  off  for  the  reason  named  above. 
So  John  experienced  much  joy  between  eight 
o'clock  and  twelve,  after  being  spoken  to  by 

(91) 


92  OVERSHADOWED. 

the  foreman.  He  was  saying-  to  himself, 
"  After  all,  it  was  well  for  me  to  have  sacri- 
ficed a  literary  education  in  order  to  learn  a 
.trade,  for  teaching-  is  now  an  overcrowded  pro- 
fession and  there  is  nothing  else  in  that  line  to 
do.  Now,  I  think  I  am  about  to  be  promoted 
and  will  then  get  four  dollars  per  day.  I  know 
I  am  gx>ing  to  be  promoted,  for  there  are  only 
two  reasons  for  which  men  are  called  to  the  of- 
fice as  I  was,  either  to  be  promoted  or  turned 
off.  I  am  glad  that  my  record  has  been  such 
that  I  know  I  won't  be  turned  off.  That  was  a 
bully  thing-  in  me  to  stand  at  the  head  of  the 
list  for  the  last  quarter."  John  went  on  with 
his  work,  whistling  and  singing  and  planning- 
great  thing's  out  of  his  four  dollars  per  day. 

The  noon  hour  came  and  John  went  hurriedly 
to  the  office  of  the  foreman.  He  looked  so 
grave  that  John  had  some  slight  misgiving's  that 
all  was  not  going-  to  go  so  well.  The  fore- 
man was  busy  arranging-  some  papers,  and 
did  not  speak  at  once.  At  length  he  said, 
"John,  you  have  been  a  good  faithful  work- 
man and  we  have  all  liked  both  you  and  your 
work,  you  have  been  so  polite,  industrious, 
punctual  and  painstaking." 

John  felt  reassured  by  these  words  and  said, 
"Thank  you.  Thank  you,  indeed.  I  cer- 
tainly have  striven  hard  to  deserve  your  good 
opinion." 


OVERSHADOWED.  93 

When  John  was  through,  the  foreman  re- 
sumed, "But  lam  very  sorry  to  say  that  I 
have  bad  news  for  you." 

John's  hat,  which  he  was  holding  in  his  hands, 
dropped  to  the  floor  and  he  grew  weak  from 
the  shock  of  disappointment.  He  said  to  him- 
self, "I  am  not  promoted.  I  shall  have  to  work 
along  at  the  same  old  figure." 

The  foreman  paused  before  delivering  the 
next  blow.  "  The  bad  news  that  I  have  to  tell 
you,  John,  is  that  you  cannot  work  for  us  any 


more." 


"Who  has  been  lying  to  you  on  me  ?  Let 
me  face  my  accuser,"  said  'John  aroused,  ex- 
cited. 

"  No  one  has  spoken  ill  of  you,  John.  There 
is  not  a  man  in  the  shop  but  is  your  friend.  It 
is  not  that  we  find  fault  with  your  work  that 
you  have  to  go." 

"What  on  earth  then  is  it  ?  "  asked  John. 

"  The  Labor  Union  has  ordered  us  to  dis- 
charge you." 

"The  Labor  Union!  I  thought  that  the 
Bilgal  works  belonged  to  Messrs.  Morrison 
and  Brown." 

"  They  do,  John,  they  do.  But  it  is  this  way. 
The  Labor  Union  will  order  all  of  its  members 
throughout  the  country  to  quit  working  for  any 
shop  that  will  employ  any  man  to  work  who  is 


94  OVERSHADOWED. 

not  a  member  of  the  Union.  All  of  the  men  in 
our  shop,  except  yourself,  belong"  to  the  organi- 
sation, and  it  has  sent  us  word  that  they  will 
be  called  out  on  a  strike  unless  you  are  dis- 
charged. You  see  you  are  not  a  member  and 
they  will  not  let  their  members  work  with  non- 


union men.' 


"Is  that  all  there  is  to  the  matter  ?  Why,  I 
will  just  join  the  Union,  then  ;  that  will  settle 
the  whole  matter." 

The  foreman  smiled  a  sad  sort  of  smile,  say- 
ing", "  I  wish  you  could,  John,  I  wish  you  could. 
But  you  cannot.  You  are  a  colored  man." 

John  dropped  into  the  seat  nearest  him 
and  he  felt  his  heart  rising-  up  into  his  throat  as 
thoug-h  to  choke  him.  He  said  in  a  husky  sort 
of  voice,  "  I  suppose  you  will  g"ive  me  a  recom- 
mendation, will  you  not?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  John,  with  tne  seal  of  the  firm  af- 
fixed. But  it  will  do  you  no  g-ood  to  have  it. 
This  Union  controls  all  the  shops  in  the  land, 
and  what  you  meet  here  you  will  meet  every- 
where." 

John  struggled  to  his  feet  and,  picking-  up 
his  hat,  pulled  it  down  over  his  eyes  and  ran 
his  hands  into  his  pants'  pockets.  He  then 
looked  upon  the  foreman  like  a  lion  at  bay.  He 
said  in  a  voice  that  creaked  with  the  emotion 
of  desperation,  "  Must  I  finish  the  day?  " 


OVERSHADOWED.  95 

"  No,  John,"  said  the  foreman.  "  We  were 
ordered  to  get  rid  of  you  before  one  o'clock  to- 
day. We  put  it  off  till  the  last  moment.  John, 
before  you  go,  let  me  inform  you  of  something-. 
For  some  cause  or  other  you  have  a  powerful 
enemy  somewhere — a  white  man.  Our  men  did 
not  report  you.  They  all  liked  you  and  were 
sorry  that  you  were  reported.  But  we  cannot 
help  ourselves.  Good  day,  John.  Watch  that 


enemy." 


John  walked  moodily  homeward  and  when  he 
arrived,  found  Erma  there.  This  astonished 
him  as  it  was  about  the  hour  for  her  to  be  busy 
at  Mrs.  Turner's.  Forgetting1  all  about 'him- 
self, he  said,  "Erm,  how  is  this,  darling,  I 
find  you  at  home  ?  ' 

"  John,  I  have  been  discharged  !  "  said  Erma, 
falling  on  his  shoulder  and  bursting  into  tears. 
Erma,  sobbing,  said,  "  Mrs.  Turner  drove 
me  out  of  her  house  as  though  I  was  a  dog. 
She  dared  me  to  apply  for  employment  any- 
where else  in  Richmond  ;  and  she  would  not 
even  tell  me  why  I  was  discharged.  And  I  was 
doing  so  well,  too.  Fransetta  was  aiding  me 
so  much  in  my  studies." 

John  did  what  he  could  to  soothe  Erma.  As 
soon  as  he  thought  it  was  safe,  he  told  her  of 
his  own  misfortune.  They  sat  upon  the  sofa 
with  their  hands  clasped,  silent.  The  road  of 


96  OVERSHADOWED. 

life  was  becoming-  rugged.  The  mail  man's 
whistle  blewT  and  Erma  went  to  the  door  and 
was  handed  a  letter  which,  upon  being  opened, 
told  of  the  foreclosure  of  the  mortgage  on  their 
home.  Erma  looked  at  John  and  John  looked 
at  Erma. 

Dolly  Smith  was  carrying  out  her  promise. 

A  party  had  approached  the  orignal  holder  of 
the  mortgage  with  a  view  to  the  purchase 
thereof.  The  mortgagee  disposed  of  his  claim 
after  being  assured  that  the  purchaser  would 
deal  leniently  with  John  and  Erma.  This 
pledge  was  unscrupulously  broken  and  John 
and  Erma  were  soon  turned  adrift  upon  the 
streets,  penniless  and  homeless.  Erma  remem- 
bered Aunt  Mollie's  invitation  and  went  to 
dwell  with  her.  John  went  to  a  lumber  yard 
for  shelter  at  night. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MURDER ! 

It  is  Labor  Da}^.  Business  houses  are  closed, 
buildings  are  decorated,  excursionists  are  pres- 
ent by  the  thousands  from  neighboring  cities, 
the  roads  leading  from  rural  districts  are  alive 
with  buggies,  wagons  and  carts,  all  full  of 
people,  crowding  into  Richmond.  As  a  con- 
sequence, Richmond  is  all  agog  with  excite- 
ment. There  is  to  be  a  grand  parade  of  all 
the  local  Labor  Unions,  together  with  delega- 
tions from  Unions  in  neighboring  cities. 

To  add  zest  to  the  occasion,  the  Master 
Workman  of  the  Labor  Union  of  the  United 
States  is  present  and  will  make  a  speech  that 
all  are  looking  forward  to  with  burning  inter- 
est. The  day's  celebration  is  to  wind  up 
with  a  banquet,  which  is  to  rival  in  brilliancy 
any  that  the  South  has  ever  known.  The  ex- 
citement of  the  people  of  Richmond  is  keyed 
to  the  very  highest  pitch. 

A  carriage  drove  up  to  the  hotel  door,  where 
the  Master  Workman  was  stopping,  and  he 
and  the  Mayor  of  the  city  got  in,  to  be  driven 
to  the  starting  point  of  the  parade,  to  ride  at 

7  (97) 


98  OVERSHADOWED. 

the  head  of  the  procession.  John  Wysong-  was 
the  driver  of  this  carriage.  Being*  shut  out 
from  all  of  the  departments  of  skilled  labor  on 
account  of  his  color,  he  had  been  forced  to  join 
the  larg-e  army  of  unskilled  laborers,  grabbing- 
here  and  there  in  a  desultory  manner  at  every 
little  job  of  work  that  appeared,  having1  no 
steady  employment.  The  greater  part  of  his 
time  he  was  idle,  the  labor  market  among-  the 
colored  men  being-  glutted.  On  account  of  the 
abnormal  demand  for  carriag-es  on  this  occa- 
sion, scores  of  men  were  pressed  into  service  as 
drivers.  Thus  John  happens  to  be  a  carriage 
driver  on  this  day,  and  the  Master  Workman 
of  the  Labor  Union  and  the  Mayor  are  to 
occupy  the  carriag-e  which  he  drives. 

Surely,  there  must  be  somewhere  in  the  uni- 
verse a  powerful,  conscienceless  being-,  who  de- 
lig-hts  in  bringing-  tog-ether  the  two  being's  who, 
more  than  any  others  of  the  millions  of  the  earth, 
oug-ht  to  be  untold  miles  apart,  and  bring-s  them 
tog-ether  at  that  moment  which  of  all  others 
in  the  cycle  of  time  is  the  most  inappropri- 
ate. Either  that,  or  there  is  a  Providence  who 
permits  this  disastrous  meeting-  of  uncong-enial 
spirits,  in  order  that  out  of  the  collision,  evil  in 
itself,  there  may  come  a  spark  of  lig-ht,  as  when 
a  negative  pole  meets  a  positive,  and  the  elec- 
tric spark  results. 


OVERSHADOWED.  99 

Pit  or  unfit,  John  Wysong-  is  the  driver  of 
the  carriage  of  the  Master  Workman  of  the 
Labor  Union.  Thus  the  chief  officer  of  an  or- 
ganization whose  hand  had  fallen  heavier  upon 
the  head  of  John  Wysong  than  upon  any  other 
individual  in  Richmond,  filling*  his  heart  with 
a  brood  of  vipers,  to  be  fed  and  kept  alive 
by  continued  misfortunes,  is  committed  to  his 
care. 

The  parade  commences  and  winds  from  street 
to  street,  the  Master  Workman  and  the  Mayor 
riding  at  the  head  of  the  procession.  Finally, 
they  came  to  a  magnificent  brick  edifice  in  the 
course  of  erection.  The  Mayor  pointed  over  to 
the  building,  and  said,  "Now,  Master  Workman, 
that  building  is  a  potent  example  of  how  well 
we  have  the  labor  situation  in  hand  in  the  South. 
That  church  edifice  is  one  of  the  very  finest  in 
the  city,  and  is  being  erected  by  a  congregation 
of  poor  Negroes,  and  yet,  not  a  brick  is  being 
laid,  nor  a  nail  being  driven  by  a  Negro.  Our 
Labor  Union  controls  exclusively  the  work  of 
the  race  to  which  it  belongs  and  has  just  as 
absolute  control  of  the  work  of  the  other  race. 
Our  factories  make  their  shoes,  our  tailors  their 
clothes,  our  machinists  their  stoves,  our  brick- 
layers build  their  houses.  Our  clerks  sell  them 
supplies,  and  at  the  same  time  we  exclude  them 
from  all  such  employment."  This  remark 


100  OVERSHADOWED. 

precipitated  a  discussion  of  the  relation  of  the 
Labor  Union  to  Negro  labor,  and  as  to  why  the 
Negroes  were  debarred. 

The  Master  Workman,  a  Northerner,  the 
honored  guest  of  a  Southern  city  (an  honor  rare- 
ly accorded  to  men  of  the  North),  riding*  with 
an  ex-General  of  the  Confederate  Army,  the 
Mayor,  out-Heroded  Herod  in  his  denunciation 
of  Negroes,  and  expressed  unalterable  opposition 
to  their  ever  being-  allowed  to  enter  the  Unions. 
He  said,  '*  The  home,  the  fireside,  is  the  dear- 
est spot  to  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and  in  his  family 
all  his  pride  centers.  Through  centuries  the 
Anglo-Saxon  has  been  evolving-  his  ideals  and 
sentiments  concerning1  home  life  and  the  place 
it  should  occupy  socially  in  the  congregation 
of  other  homes.  In  order  to  sustain  these 
ideals  a  larger  amount  of  money  is  needed  than 
is  needed  to  sustain  the  home  life  of  the  Negro 
with  his  ideals  at  their  present  stag-e  of  evolu- 
tion. Hence,  we  cannot  afford  to  enter  into 
competition  with  the  Negro.  For  it  would  not 
be  a  question  of  dollars.  It  would  be  a  question 
of  home  ag-ainst  home.  So  we  of  the  Labor 
Unions  have  decided  that  either  our  homes 
must  be  crushed  out  or  the  Negro.  And  you 
know  what  the  Anglo-Saxon  does  to  a  weaker 
foe  that  does  not  accept  his  standard.  He  sim- 
ply destroys  him." 


OVERSHADOWED.  101 

Here  he  paused  for  an  instant,  and  then  re- 
sumed, "  But  the  greatest  objection  we  have  to 
the  Negro  is  that  his  nature  does  not  seem  to 
have  in  it  the  seditious  element  to  any  appreci- 
able degree.  He  will  move  along  patiently, 
enduring  evils  and  debating  his  right — actually 
his  right — to  rebel  against  oppression.  He  has 
an  abnormal  respect  for  constituted  authority. 
He  does  not  admit  to  himself  the  inherent 
right  to  throw  off  the  hand  of  an  oppress- 
on  He  stands  and  looks  pleadingly  at  him, 
waiting  for  the  time  to  come  when  the  bet- 
ter sense  of  the  oppressor  will  assert  itself. 
He  really  expects  for  the  tyrannous  spirit 
to  develop  forces  within  that  will  overthrow 
itself.  Ignorant  of  history,  he  does  not  know 
that  the  spirit  of  oppression  will  yield  only 
to  force  or  the  fear  of  it.  The  Anglo-Saxon 
has  never  gotten  anything  for  which  he  did  not 
fight,  or  impress  the  party  concerned  that  he 
was  ready  to  fight  for  it. 

"  Now,  our  Union  wants  it  distinctly  under- 
stood that  what  we  labor  for  WE  MUST 
HAVE.  We  shall  have  it  if  we  ignore  all 
laws,  defy  all  constituted  authority,  overthrow 
all  government,  violate  all  tradition.  Our  end 
MUST  be  attained,  at  whatever  cost.  If  a  foe 
stands  in  our  way,  and  nothing  will  dislodge 
him  but  death,  then  he  must  die.  That  is  the 


102  OVERSHADOWED. 

dictum  of  the  Anglo-Saxon.  The  Negro,  lack- 
ing* this  spirit,  has  no  place  in  our  ranks." 

John  Wysong*  had  heard  every  word  of  the 
conversation  up  to  this  point,  but  his  mind 
could  g-o  no  further.  It  was  in  a  whirl.  Over 
and  over  ag-ain  the  words  of  the  Master  Work- 
man rang-  in  his  ears:  "  If  a  foe  stands  in  our 
way  and  nothing*  will  dislodge  him  but  death, 
then  he  must  die."  The  clatter  of  the  horses' 
hoofs  seemed  to  say  this  ;  the  revolving  wheels 
of  the  carriage  seemed  to  repeat  it  over  and 
over,  and  the  hum  and  noise  of  the  city  seemed 
to  be  but  a  loud  echo  of  the  sentiment  that  had 
fallen  into  Wysong-'s  already  disordered  brain. 
Time  and  ag-ain  he  had  to  be  hallooed  to  by  the 
policemen  to  keep  in  the  line  mapped  out  for 
the  parade.  His  hands  trembled  with  nervous 
excitement,  and  his  eyes  were  red  and  wild- 
looking-. 

At  leng-th  the  parade  was  over.  The  Mayor 
sug-g-ested  that  the  Master  Workman  g-o  to  the 
City  Hall  and  enter  the  tower,  rising-  two  hun- 
dred feet  in  the  air,  so  that  he  could  have  a 
view  of  the  entire  city.  John  Wysong-  heard 
the  suggestion  and  it  made  him  tremble  all  the 
more  violently,  his  heart  thumping-  loudly  the 
while.  *'  If  a  foe  stands  in  our  way  and  nothing- 
will  dislodg-e  him  but  death,  then  he  must  die," 
kept  ring-ing*  in  his  ears. 


OVERSHADOWED.  103 

The  Reception  Committee,  in  a  carriage  fol- 
lowing- that  of  the  Master  Workman,  went  with 
him  to  the  City  Hall.  They  entered  that  mag- 
nificent building  and  went  from  floor  to  floor, 
John  Wysong  following  them,  unnoticed.  They 
entered  the  tower  and  ascended  to  the  small, 
dark  room  at  the  very  top,  having  a  large 
window  with  a  low  window  sill,  through  which 
window  a  person  looking  out  could  command  a 
view  of  the  city.  The  news  spread  that  the  Mas- 
ter Workman  was  going  to  the  tower,  and  crowds 
of  holiday  loungers  gathered  about  to  cheer 
him  when  he  appeared  at  the  tower  window. 
Others  gathered  to  find  out  the  meaning  of  this 
crowd,  so  the  throng  swelled  and  swelled.  The 
Master  Workman  and  his  group  are  now  in 
the  small  tower  room.  All  the  members  of  the 
group  stand  back  to  allow  him  to  look  out  of  the 
large,  open  window.  When  the  crowd  below 
sees  his  stalwart  form  appear  at  this  window, 
it  raises  cheer  after  cheer.  The  remainder  of 
the  group  rush  to  the  window  to  look  out  over 
the  Master  Workman's  shoulders  to  see  the 
meaning  of  the  noise  and  the  crowd. 

John  Wysong,  who  had  stood  just  outside  of 
the  door  of  the  tower,  saw  the  rush  to  the  win- 
dow, and,  the  soil  being  prepared,  the  seed  of 
murder  dropped  into  his  heart.  His  breath 
came  hot  and  fast.  He  stepped  'with  the 


104  OVERSHADOWED. 

stealthiness  of  a  cat  toward  the  group  sur- 
rounding- the  Master  Workman.  They  were 
all  intent  upon  the  cheering1  crowd  beneath, 
and  did  not  notice  him.  He  pressed  for  room, 
but  those  he  touched,  having1  their  heads  out  of 
the  window,  supposed  it  to  be  a  fellow  commit- 
teeman,  and  did  not  look  round.  John  stooped 
down  and  as  quick  as  a  flash  seized  hold  of  the 
Master  Workman's  ankles,  and  g-ave  him  a 
quick,  powerful,  upward  jerk  that  threw  him 
forward,  out  of  the  window.  As  he  went  toss- 
ing- out,  a  committeeman  seized  his  coat  and 
held  him  thus  for  an  instant.  But  it  was  only 
for  an  instant.  The  committeman  pressed  his 
side  ag-ainst  the  window  facing-  and  held  to  the 
coat ;  but  it  began  to  rip,  aided  by  the  violent, 
but  fruitless  clutching-  of  the  Master  Work- 
man. Slowly  but  surely  the  coat  was  ripping-. 
Two  hundred  feet  below,  the  people  were 
paralyzed  with  horror.  They  saw  the  form  of 
the  man  whom  they  were  so  wildly  cheering- 
a  moment  before  suspended  in  mid-air,  sus- 
tained by  a  ripping-  coat.  A  thousand  hearts 
stood  still ;  a  thousand  voices  were  mute  ;  a 
thousand  chills  of  terror  crept  over  men's 
shuddering-  frames.  The  coat  gave  way  and 
the  Master  Workman  started  down  on  his  aw- 
ful journey.  The  people  turned  their  heads 
away  from  the  sickening-  sig-ht  to  follow.  Fifty 


OVERSHADOWED.  105 

feet  from  the  top  of  the  tower  the  body  struck  a 
protuberance,  bounded  outward,  and  fell  plump 
upon  the  iron  palings  two  hundred  feet  below, 
and  they  ran  their  narrow  shaped  heads  through 
his  body  as  unconcernedly  as  though  they  were 
stationed  there  from  all  eternity  to  receive  him. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE:  VISIT  OF  A  POLICEMAN. 

The  friends  of  the  Master  Workman  will 
take  his  body  and  bury  it  with  all  the  pomp 
and  honor  due  his  exalted  station.  Requiescat. 
But  we  g-o  in  quest  of  the  young*  man  with 
the  awful  stain  of  murder  upon  his  soul.  John 
Wysong"  was  not  suspected  of  the  murder. 
Without  stopping-  to  even  debate  the  matter,  it 
was  decided  that  in  the  jostle  of  the  committee- 
men  to  see  below,  the  Master  Workman  had 
been  accidently  pushed  out.  There  are  times 
when  all  of  the  attention  of  an  entire  group  is 
focused  on  a  g-iven  point  and  such  was  the  case 
when  the  crime  just  recorded  was  committed. 
The  Mayor  stayed  to  care  for  the  terribly  man- 
gled form  of  the  Master  Workman  and  John 
Wysong-  drove  the  carriag-e  to  the  stable, 
put  up,  and  went  home.  Early  the  next  morn- 
ing" he  went  out  and  g-ot  a  newspaper  to  learn 
the  accepted  theory  of  the  death.  No  thoug-ht 
of  murder  was  found  in  the  longf  thrilling1  re- 
cital. John  now  felt  partially  relieved. 

Yet,  thoug-h  undiscovered  and  apparently  safe 
on  the  very  scene  of  his  crime,  John  was  not  al- 
tog'ether  easy  in  mind.  His  conscience  troubled 

(106) 


OVERSHADOWED.  107 

him.  He  and  God  were  the  sole  partners  in  a 
terrible  secret.  The  world  passed  him  by,  igno- 
rant of  his  deed.  But  it  seemed  to  him  that 
the  terrible  load  could  be  the  more  easily  borne 
if  only  some  one  knew  it  with  him.  He  could 
not  endure  that  solitary  companionship  with 
God.  Whenever  he  wondered  if  the  crime 
would  ever  be  known,  his  mind  could  not  run 
out  variously  to  this,  that  or  the  other  possible 
source  of  detection.  No,  it  ran  straight  to  God  ; 
and  John  would  not  have  been  surprised  to  hear 
God  tell  the  world  of  his  crime  any  day.  If 
God  had  had  a  subordinate,  a  human  being-  to 
tell  it,  John  might  have  thought  that  God 
would  not  concern  himself  about  making  it 
known.  As  it  was,  the  responsibility  of  telling 
it  was  with  God  ;  and  John  looked  for  it  to  be 
told  any  day.  After  God  did  not  tell  it,  John 
began  to  think  that  God  was  waiting  on  him  to 
tell  it.  If  he  did  not  tell  it  he  felt  that  his  pun- 
ishment would  be  twofold.  But  fear  of  his  aw- 
ful fate  restrained  him. 

Thus,  John  Wysong  wandered  hopelessly 
about  the  streets  of  Richmond  day  and  night. 
He  began  to  grow  thin  and  Erma  soon  discov- 
ered that  some  sorrow  was  eating  away  his 
heart.  She  did  what  she  could  to  cheer  him, 
but  all  to  no  avail.  Erma  was  still  at  Aunt 
Mollie's,  "  taking  in  washing  "  for  a  living.  It 


108  OVERSHADOWED. 

barely  kept  Her  alive  and  caused  her  clothes  to 
be  of  somewhat  inferior  quality.  John  would 
come  to  see  Erma,  and,  sitting-  in  front  of  her, 
seeing*  her  working-  so  hard,  so  poorly  paid,  so 
poorly  clad,  would  burst  into  tears.  This 
would  unnerve  Erma  and  set  her  to  crying-. 
She  would  g-o  to  John  and  throw  her  arms 
around  him  and  beg-  him  to  cheer  up  and  not  to 
break  her  heart.  Her  tears  \vould  serve  to 
cause  John  to  quit  yielding-  to  his  feeling's. 

One  day  John  came  to  Mrs.  Marston's  to  see 
Erma.  It  was  now  winter  and  she  was  in  the 
kitchen  washing-  out  a  tub  of  clothes.  She  and 
John  were  in  there  alone.  Her  sleeves  were 
rolled  up  beyond  her  elbows,  laying-  bare  arms 
that  were  perfectly  rounded  and  that  tapered 
with  exquisite  beauty.  Her  long-  black  hair  had 
become  unpinned  and  had  fallen  down  over  her 
shoulders,  allowing-  two  shapely  ears  to  peep 
out ;  and  they  seemed  content  with  just  that 
much  liberty  and  just  that  much  bondage  to 
anything-  so  beautifully  black  as  Erma's  hair. 
Her  shirt  waist  was  unbuttoned  slightly  at  the 
throat,  granting-  a  g-limpse  of  a  neck  full 
worthy  of  partnership  with  that  charming-  face 
and  well  shaped,  well  poised  head.  Thoug-h 
at  work  she  was  laug-hing-  and  chatting-  and 
joking-  with  John,  trying  to  make  him  lose  his 
moodiness.  Suddenly,  the  kitchen  door  was 


OVERSHADOWED.  109 

unceremoniously  opened  and  a  policeman  stood 
in  the  doorway.  His  eyes  first  fell  on  John. 
Absolute  and  unqualified  terror  seized  John 
and  he  shrank  into  a  helpless  heap  on  his 
chair,  showing-  every  sign  of  guiltiness  of  a 
crime.  Erma's  heart  stood  still.  She  saw 
the  look  of  terror  in  John's  eye  and  wondered 
what  crime  could  be  laid  at  his  door.  Woman- 
like she  vowed  to  be  John's  friend  to  the  last, 
though  knowing  not  his  crime.  The  policeman 
saw  John  looking  so  guiltily  that  he  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  taking  him,  though,  he 
came  upon  another  errand.  His  mission  was 
with  Erma.  He  turned  his  gaze  reluctantly 
from  John's  crouching  form  as  though  he  was 
losing  4'  game  "  rightfully  his,  as  he  would  put 
it.  He  looked  Erma  full  in  the  face,  not  a  line, 
not  a  muscle  escaping  his  bold  gaze.  As  Erma's 
full  beauty  dawned  upon  him,  he  pulled  off  his 
hat,  so  instinctive  is  man's  homage  to  beauty. 
At  length,  having  finished  his  survey  of  Erma, 
he  handed  her  a  warrant  summoning  her  to  ap- 
pear in  court  on  the  morrow  in  a  case  of  for- 
gery, (the  State  vs.  James  B.  Lawson)  as  a 
witness  for  the  defendant,  the  said  James  B. 
Lawson.  If  her  dead  mother  had  stood  before 
her  she  could  not  have  been  more  astounded. 

The   policeman  having    fulfilled   his   errand 
turned  to  go.     He  paused  to  cast  a  parting  look 


110  OVERSHADOWED. 

at  John,  whom  curiosity  had  somewhat  bol- 
stered up,  when  he  discovered  that  the  police- 
man had  business  with  Erma.  But  the  return- 
ing* gaze  of  the  policeman  made  him  collapse 
again,  and  the  policeman  never  disliked  any- 
thing* in  all  his  professional  career  so  much 
as  he  did  the  fact  that  he  now  had  to  leave  that 
house  without  John  Wysong*.  Ever  after  that 
when  he  would  see  John  on  the  street  he  would 
eye  him  keenly  as  much  as  to  say,  ' '  You  belong- 
to  me,"  and  John  would  slink  cowardly  away. 
But  we  are  just  now  concerned  about  Erma. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BACKWARD,  THEN  FORWARD. 

A  clear  understanding-  of  the  events  to  tran- 
spire in  the  courtroom  on  to-morrow,  necessi- 
tates the  bringing-  to  lig-ht  of  some  incidents 
that  occurred  many  years  previous. 

One  beautiful  day  two  Negro  girls,  sisters, 
sauntered  forth  from  home  to  make  the  rounds 
of  the  dry  g-oods  stores.  It  was  their  custom 
to  g-o  from  store  to  store,  inspecting-  fine  gar- 
ments, whether  they  had  or  did  not  have  the 
mone}*  to  make  purchases.  Looking-  at  the  fine 
displays  of  g-oods  seemed  to  g-ive  these  poor 
girls  as  much  satisfaction  as  the  actual  posses- 
sion of  them  would  have  done.  Upon  return- 
ing home  they  would  delightedly  discuss  all 
that  they  had  seen.  As  this  was  about  the 
only  novelty  of  their  humdrum  existence,  the 
mother,  deeply  engrossed  in  aiding  her  husband 
supply  the  necessities  of  life,  never  interposed 
any  objection. 

At  this  time  Ex-Governor  Lawson  was  a 
young-  man,  and  was  employed  as  clerk  in  one 
of  the  clothing  stores  visited  by  these  two 
young  girls.  One  of  the  girls  impressed  him 

(ill) 


112  OVERSHADOWED. 

as  being  more  than  ordinarily  good-looking,  and 
he  had  some  curiosity  to  know  how  much  her 
looks  could  be  enhanced  by  proper  attire.  He 
made  both  of  them  presents  of  very  elegant  and 
costly  costumes  on  the  condition  that  they 
should  not  inform  their  parents  as  to  the  true 
source  of  the  gift,  and  he  further  stipulated 
that  they  should  return  on  the  morrow  clad  in 
the  attire  given  them  by  him. 

The  taste  for  fine  dressing  having  been 
whetted  to  abnormal  proportions,  the  girls, 
otherwise  honest,  accepted  the  gifts  and  began 
the  first  deceptions  of  their  lives.  The  beauti- 
ful girl  looked  like  a  veritable  queen  when  she 
appeared  the  next  day.  Little  by  little  they 
were  led  on  and  on,  until  Lawson  and  the  girl 
that  interested  him  were  meeting  clandestinely, 
through  the  co-operation  of  her  sister.  It  was 
not  long  before  public  disgrace  overtook  the 
erring  girl  through  the  birth  of  a  child.  That 
child  was  Erma  Wysong. 

Dotly  Smith  was  the  sister  that  abetted 
Erma's  mother  in  her  sinful  course.  The  dis- 
grace was  too  severe  a  blow  for  the  mother  of 
the  two  girls,  and  she  soon  died  of  grief.  The 
enraged  father  drove  them  away  from  his 
house.  Cast  off,  they  appealed  to  the  partner 
in  their  guilt  for  help.  He  spurned  them  from 
him,  and  threatened  to  have  them  imprisoned 


OVERSHADOWED.  113 

if  they  besought  aid  of  him  again.  This  action 
was  the  occasion  of  Dolly  Smith's  vow  to  con- 
secrate her  whole  life  to  the  wreaking  of  venge- 
ance on  the  wrecker  of  their  happiness. 

The  clerk  rose  rapidly  in  the  scale  of  life, 
soon  was  a  merchant  himself,  and  later  was 
triumphantly  elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  and 
more  recently  was  appointed  minister  to  Ger- 
many. Dolly  Smith  never  lost  sight  of  him 
nor  faltered  in  her  purpose.  Imagine,  then, 
her  wolfish  joy  when  his  son  commits  his  for- 
tunes into  her  keeping.  She  feels  that  she  can 
wreck  the  father  through  the  child. 

We  now  pass  from  the  father  to  the  son. 
While  Erma  was  at  Mrs.  Turner's,  young  Law- 
son  became  familiar  with  her  handwriting,  she 
having  aided  Pranzetta  Turner  and  himself 
in  addressing  invitations  on  several  occasions. 
Dolly  Smith  knew  of  this,  and  had  been  faith- 
fully laboring  to  imitate  Erma's  handwriting. 
She  was  entirely  successful,  and  could  write  so 
that  it  would  require  microscopic  inspection  to 
distinguish  between  the  two. 

It  was  a  forged  letter  to  young  Lawson  that 
caused  Mrs.  Turner  to  summarily  dismiss 
Erma  from  her  service,  offering  no  opportunity 
for  an  understanding.  The  imitation  was  so 
perfect  that  both  Mrs.  Turner  and  Pranzetta 
regarded  the  matter  as  beyond  question. 

8 


114  OVERSHADOWED. 

Now  that  Erma  was  lost  to  Lawson's  view, 
Dolly  began  to  correspond  with  him,  using* 
Erma's  name  and  handwriting".  These  letters 
represented  Erma  as  making  advances  toward 
Ivawson,  professing*  love  for  him  and  express- 
ing* a  desire  for  lifetime  companionship.  These 
letters  rendered  Lawson  wild  with  joy.  He 
felt  that  the  greatest  blessing*  that  the  world 
had  in  store  for  him,  Erma's  love,  was  at  last 
attained. 

Dolly  made  Erma  to  say  in  these  forg-ed  let- 
ters that  she  desired  that  he  settle  upon  her  a 
sum  of  money  sufficient  to  care  for  her  for  life  in 
the  event  that  he  should  die  or  his  affections 
should  wane.  Young-  Lawson  assured  her  that 
his  love  was  immortal,  and  that  she  did  not  need 
insurance  ag-ainst  the  possible  loss  of  that. 
Yet  he  deemed  it  but  an  act  of  justice  to  make 
ample  provisions  for  her,  so  that  she  would 
never  be  in  want  under  any  circumstances  that 
mig-ht  arise. 

Young-  Lawsori  at  this  time  had  only  five 
thousand  dollars  in  his  own  rig-lit,  thoug-h  the 
prospective  heir  to  a  great  fortune.  He  desired 
to  settle  ten  thousand  dollars  on  Erma.  He  pre- 
pared a  note,  forg-ed  the  endorsement  of  a  well- 
known  firm,  had  the  note  discounted,  hoping-  to 
save  enoug-h  from  his  liberal  quarterly  allow- 
ances to  redeem  the  note  at  maturity.  The 


OVERSHADOWED.  115 

money  was  paid  over  to  parties  named,  Dolly 
Smith  having"  most  skillfully  arranged  this  part 
of  the  programme.  This  done,  the  fictitious 
correspondence  with  Erma  suddenly  ceased, 
and  young-  Lawson  was  enraged  at  what  ap- 
peared to  him  to  be  Erma's  duplicity. 

Dolly  Smith  immediately  employed  a  busi- 
ness agency  to  institute  a  secret  inquiry  into 
young-  Lawson's  financial  standing-,  she  being- 
confident  that  he  would  have  to  resort  to  irreg- 
ularities  of  some  kind  to  raise  the  sum  of  ten 
thousand  dollars.  This  inquiry  soon  broug-ht 
to  the  notice  of  the  firm  whose  signature  was 
forged,  the  note  of  young  Lawson,  which  oth- 
erwise would  have  been  unmolested  until  the 
time  of  maturity,  so  high  and  unquestioned  was 
the  standing  of  all  parties  concerned  in  the 
note  transaction.  Exposure  and  the  arrest  of 
young  Lawson  followed,  and  we  are  now  to  at- 
tend upon  his  trial. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

AS  LEAST  EXPECTED. 

Long*  before  the  hour  set  for  the  opening-  of 
the  court,  a  great  crowd  of  Richmond's  most 
distinguished  people,  men  and  women,  had 
gathered  at  the  door  of  the  court  room.  They 
were  discussing-  from  one  to  the  other  the  al- 
leged forgery,  seeking  to  fathom  the  motive 
thereof,  and  speculating1  as  to  the  effect  it 
would  have  on  the  family  name. 

The  attorneys  for  the  defense  had  g-iven  no 
intimation  as  to  their  proposed  course,  and  spec- 
ulation was  rife  as  to  what  the  character  of  the 
defense  would  be ;  what,  if  any,  would  be  the 
pleadings  in  mitigation  of  the  offense.  The 
Commonwealth's  attorney  was  well  known  to  be 
the  bitter  political  enemy  of  the  Ex-Governor, 
and  it  was  thought  that  he  might  be  relied 
on  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  see  the  son  suffer 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  law. 

The  door  of  the  court  room  was  opened  and 
every  seat  quickly  seized  upon  by  the  eager 
throng,  those  not  g-etting-  seats  content  to  find 
standing-  room.  Court  was  duly  opened  and 
the  case  of  the  State  vs.  James  Benson  Lawson, 

(116) 


OVERSHADOWED.  117 

charged  with  the  forgery  of  the  signature  of 
the  firm,  Linton  &  Stern,  was  called. 

Young  Lawson  was  stationed  between  his 
mother  and  father,  on  the  one  side,  and  his  law- 
yers on  the  other.  In  response  to  a  summons 
from  the  Judge,  he  arose  and  entered  the  plea 
of  "  Not  guilty,"  for  the  purpose,  as  was  after- 
wards explained,  of  having  the  opportunity  to 
introduce  testimony  that  would  provoke  sympa- 
thy, though  not  disproving  guilt. 

The  State  proceeded  to  make  out  its  case, 
submitting  the  note  in  question,  the  real  signa- 
ture of  the  firm,  the  testimony  of  experts,  and 
such  other  evidence  as  clearly  established  the 
fact  of  the  forgery  and  the  guilt  of  the  defend- 
ant. Thereupon  the  State  rested  its  case. 

The  defense  began  its  presentation  by  intro- 
ducing witnesses  to  testify  to  the  previous  good 
standing  of  the  defendant.  Nothing  more  in 
the  way  of  testimonials  could  be  desired,  than 
the  tributes  paid  young  L/awson's  virtues  by 
these  witnesses.  The  impression  created  was 
that  some  powerful  impulsion  was  necessary  to 
deflect  such  a  worthy  young  man  from  the  path 
of  virtue.  **  The  motive,  the  motive,  what  was 
the  motive  ?  "  was  the  query  that  was  engaging 
the  thoughts  of  all. 

The  name  of  Erma  Wysong  was  called  as  a 
witness.  A  murmur  of  astonishment  ran 


118  OVERSHADOWED. 

around  the  court  room,  "A  woman  in  the  case  ! 
A  woman  in  the  case  !  "  The  door  of  the  wit- 
ness room  opened  and  Erma  Wysong  stepped 
out  of  it  into  the  court  room,  the  cynosure  of 
all  eyes.  Her  surpassing-  beauty  at  once  stilled 
the  buzzing  in  the  room.  Her  hair  was  combed 
back  from  her  brow  as  if  to  demonstrate 
that  that  face  needed  no  sort  of  background 
to  enhance  its  beauty.  A  plain  but  well-fit- 
ting dress  allowed  her  form  to  appear  in  its  na- 
tive beauty  and  symmetry.  Erma's  eyes  were 
opened  slightly  wider  than  usual,  as  if  in 
innocent  fright.  If  she  had  suddenly  developed 
wing's  and  flown,  the  transition  would  have  been 
in  keeping  with  the  tenor  of  the  emotions  of  all, 
prevailing-  for  the  moment,  for  she  possessed  the 
charm  of  person  which  is  ever  associated  with 
the  ang-elic.  Erma  had  not  been  apprised  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  case  before  the  court  nor  as  to 
the  part  she  was  expected  to  play.  Unaccus- 
tomed to  court  duties  of  any  character,  she  was 
ill  at  ease  on  this  occasion,  but  her  apparent  be- 
wilderment lent  interest  to  her  charms. 

The  attorneys  for  the  defense  were  hig-hly 
gratified  at  the  profound  impression  that  Er- 
ma's beauty  had  made.  She  was  escorted  to 
the  witness  chair.  The  tenor  of  the  questions 
asked  g-ave  the  public  the  first  clue  to  the  prob- 
able course  of  the  defense.  Young-  Lawson 


OVERSHADOWED.  119 

was  to  be  a  Mark  Antony  in  the  meshes  of  a 
Cleopatra. 

Erma  was  asked  to  give  specimens  of  her 
penmanship,  which  she  did  readily.  She  was 
also  asked  as  to  who  wrote  certain  detached 
words  and  sentences  that  were  placed  before 
her.  She  stated  that  they  had  every  appear- 
ance of  being"  her  handwriting*.  With  the  way 
thus  paved,  the  letters  which  Dolly  Smith  had 
written  to  young*  Lawson  in  Erma's  name,  were 
produced.  They  were  masterpieces  of  ing*enu- 
ity  and  were  evidently  written  by  a  woman  who 
knew  all  of  the  inner  working's  of  the  heart  of 
man.  Erma  sat  listening*  in  amazement  at  the 
revelation  of  the  adroit  effort  to  capture  young* 
Lawson's  heart,  she  being*  designated  as  the 
culpable  party. 

When  Erma's  beauty  was  taken  into  account, 
tog-ether  with  the  brilliancy  and  power  of  insin- 
uation found  in  the  correspondence,  the  auditors 
were  prepared  to  account  for  the  downfall  of 
young*  Lawson.  The  defense  here  rested  its 
case.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  the  Common- 
wealth's attorney  signified  his  purpose  to  offer 
testimony  in  rebuttal.  He  also  sug-g-ested  to  the 
attorneys  for  the  defense,  in  a  whispered  con- 
ference, that  Mrs.  Lawson,  the  wife  of  the  Ex- 
Governor,  be  requested  to  retire  in  view  of  dis- 
closures to  be  made.  The  retirement  of  Mrs. 


120  OVERSHADOWED. 

Lawson  brought  excitement  to  the  highest 
pitch,  and  sensational  developments  were  mo- 
mentarily expected. 

Dolly  Smith  is  called  as  a  witness  and  takes 
her  seat.  She  casts  a  look  of  malicious  tri- 
umph in  the  direction  of  the  Ex-Governor.  The 
Commonwealth's  attorney  questions  her  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  Are  you  acquainted  with  one  Erma  Wy- 
song?"  * 

"No,  sir/'  was  Dolly's  reply. 

"  Are  you  acquainted  with  the  young  woman 
who  has  just  left  the  witness  chair  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  is  not  that  Erma  Wysong  ?  " 

"No,  sir.  That  is  Erma  Lawson,  daughter 
of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Lawson,  Ex-Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  Ex-Minister  to  Germany." 

The  blood  forsook  the  face  of  the  Ex-Gov- 
ernor, and  he  looked  first  to  Dollv  and  then  to 
Erma  in  a  dazed  sort  of  way.  The  eyes  of  the 
auditors  flashed  from  Erma  to  the  Ex-Gov- 
ernor and  back  again,  evidently  making,  com- 
parisons. The  audience  was  of  one  mind  in  be- 
lieving that  Dolly  had  spoken  the  truth,  only  a 
cursory  glance  being  needed  to  see,  after  the 
suggestion  had  been  once  made,  that  Ex-Gov- 
ernor Lawson  and  Erma  were  father  and  child. 
They  were  astonished  that  they  had  not  made 
the  comparison  on  their  own  initiative. 


OVERSHADOWED.  121 

"  Are  you  acquainted  with  the  prisoner  at 
the  bar  ?  "  resumed  the  lawyer. 

"lam." 

"  State  the  circumstances  under  which  you 
formed  his  acquaintance." 

Dolly  now  entered  into  a  detailed  statement 
of  all  her  dealing's  with  Lawson,  setting-  forth 
his  purposes  with  regard  to  Erma. 

"  Who  wrote  those  letters  read  here  to-day?" 

"I  wrote  them.  Erma  knew  nothing*  of 
them  until  she  heard  them  in  this  trial." 

"Erma,  then,  has  not  been  a  party  to  the 
inveiglement  of  this  young1  man  ?  " 

"No,  sir.  On  the  contrary,  he  endeavored 
to  make  a  victim  out  of  her,  and  he  has  been  vic- 
timized." 

"  How  did  young1  Lawson  happen  to  approach 
you?" 

"  Many  years  ago  I  first  acted  as  procuress 
for  his  father,  my  own  sister  being*  the  victim. 
Perhaps  information  as  to  \vhat  I  could  do 
came  to  him  from  his  exemplary  father." 

The  Gommonwealth  here  stated  that  the  evi- 
dence was  all  in,  and  if  agreeable  to  the  de- 
fense, the  case  would  be  submitted  to  the  jury 
without  argument.  The  defense,  however,  de- 
sired to  make  one  speech,  the  prosecution  waiv- 
ing- its  right  to  make  reply.  The  speech  as  pre- 
pared by  the  leading  counsel  for  the  defense 


122  OVERSHADOWED. 

was  not  delivered.  The  case  of  his  client  was 
ignored  altogether,  and  a  stirring-  invective  was 
delivered  against  Dolly  Smith. 

As  torrent  after  torrent  of  scathing  rebuke 
rolled  forth  from  the  lips  of  the  speaker,  Dolly 
Smith  writhed  as  one  under  the  severest  phys- 
ical torture.  Peeling  unable  to  longer  endure 
the  ordeal,  she  arose  and  fled  toward  the  door. 
As  if  by  a  common  impulse,  the  throng  of  spec- 
tators surged  about  her. 

"  Tar  and  feathers  !  "  some  one  suggested. 

The  cry  was  taken  up,  and  soon  all  were 
loudly  clamoring  for  "tar  and  feathers  !  "  Tar 
and  feathers  were  procured  and  applied  to  Dolly, 
who  was  now  screaming  at  the  top  of  her  voice 
and  striking  wildly  in  the  air.  She  was  soon 
overpowered  and,  followed  by  a  hooting  mob  of 
men  and  boys,  was  led  to  the  railway  station, 
where  she  was  placed  upon  the  first  outgoing 
train,  with  emphatic  instructions  to  never 
again  show  her  face  in  Richmond. 

The  train  went  rumbling  out,  bearing  its  un- 
popular burden.  While  the  train  was  crossing 
a  high  bridge  a  few  miles  from  Richmond,. 
Dolly  rushed  upon  the  platform  of  the  car  in 
which  she  had  been  riding,  huddled  into  one 
corner,  and,  leaping  into  the  air,  descended 
upon  the  unyielding  rocks  at  the  bottom  of  a 
deep  gorge,  whereupon  her  soul  bade  her  body 


OVERSHADOWED.  123 

an  eternal  farewell,  leaving*  it  as  food  for  such 
fowls  of  the  air  as  should  see  fit  to  feed  thereon. 

To  return  to  the  trial,  young-  Lawson,  after 
conviction,  was  solemnly  sentenced  by  the 
Judg-e  to  a  term  in  the  State  prison.  The  Ex- 
Governor  experienced  such  a  shock  from  the 
occurrences  that  his  mind  became  unbalanced. 
He  went  forth  from  the  court  room  a  complete 
mental  wreck,  and  wandered  aimlessly  about 
the  streets  of  Richmond,  piteously  repeating"  to 
any  one  who  would  take  time  to  listen  :  '*  The 
fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  chil- 
dren's teeth  are  set  on  edg-e." 

It  developed  that  Dolly  Smith  was  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  home  of  Erma  and  John,  and, 
throug-h  a  provision  in  her  will,  it  was  now  re- 
stored unto  them.  The  storm  of  life  bursting* 
over  their  heads  experiences  a  lull.  But  be  not 
deceived  thereby.  The  Storm  King-  is  crafty. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

AN  AWFUL  RESOLVE. 

Erma  is  reinstated  at  Mrs.  Turner's.  That 
lady's  heart  is  now  drawn  to  Erma  with  pecul- 
iar warmth,  as  if  in  atonement  for  her  previous 
harsh  judgment  and  maltreatment.  Mrs.  Tur- 
ner is  a  firm  believer  in  the  transcendant  great- 
ness of  the  aristocratic  blood  of  the  South,  and 
the  presence  of  Ex-Governor  L/awson's  blood  in 
Erma's  veins  doubly  endeared  Erma  to  her. 
Thus  it  came  about  that  Erma  was  treated  more 
on  the  order  of  one  under  Mrs.  Turner's  special 
care  than  as  a  servant.  Very  frequently  the 
white  citizens  of  Richmond  called  at  Mrs.  Tur- 
ner's in  order  to  see  the  beautiful  Negro  g-irl 
that  was  said  to  be  the  daug-hter  of  Ex-Gov- 
ernor Lawson.  Erma  was  so  clever  in  conver- 
sation that  all  went  away  admiring-  her,  but  as- 
cribing- her  cleverness  to  her  white  parentag-e, 
an  appropriation  that  is  often  made  whenever  a 
notable  performance  comes  from  a  person  of 
mixed  blood.  But  amid  all  this,  Erma  Wysong- 
was  by  no  means  a  happy  g-irl.  Her  brother  had 
at  last  confessed  to  her  his  awful  crime  and  had 
thus  rolled  that  crushing-  stone  upon  her  heart. 
In  addition  to  her  sorrow  over  the  fact  that 

(124) 


OVERSHADOWED.  125 

John,  her  John,  was  a  murderer,  he  had  left  it 
with  her  to  tell  him  what  steps  to  take. 

After  his  confession  to  Erma,  John's  weight 
on  his  own  heart  materially  lessened.  He  had 
put  the  matter  into  the  hands  of  Erma  and  he 
felt  that  Erma's  love  for  him  and  her  love  for 
God  would  effect  such  a  compromise  as  to  bring 
him  back  to  favor  with  God.  While  naturally 
deeply  concerned  as  to  what  Erma  was  to  have 
him  do,  yet  he  felt  that  somehow  all  would  be 
well,  because  ERMA  had  the  matter  in  charge. 
Two  or  three  times  a  week  he  would  visit  her, 
saying  nothing  of  his  crime,  but  hoping  that 
she  was  ready  with  her  decision.  Her  lov- 
Jng  heart  was  touched  with  this  childlike 
trust  on  the  part  of  her  brother.  Erma  also 
felt  that  the  eyes  of  her  mother  were  looking 
down  upon  her  from  the  skies  watching  every 
step  that  she  was  taking  concerning  John, 
whom  her  mother  had  commended  to  her  care 
with  her  latest  breath.  "  Be  faithful  to  John's 
soul,  Erma,"  were  the  last  words  that  escaped 
the  lips  of  the  dying  mother.  Then,  too, 
Erma  felt  that  the  eyes  of  God  were  upon  her. 
And  yet  again  she  remembered  that  she  was  a 
member  of  organized  society  ;  was  in  posses- 
sion of  the  knowledge  of  an  awful  crime  against 
society  and  therefore  owed  something  to  society. 
How  much  ?  was  the  great  question.  Thus,  in 


126  OVERSHADOWED. 

settling*  this  terrible  matter  she  had  to  deal 
with  her  own  heart  full  of  love  for  John  ;  had 
to  deal  with  John's  simple,  trusting  soul ;  with 
the  sacred  memory  of  her  mother  ;  with  the  will 
of  God ;  with  the  demands  of  organized  society 
calling*  loudly  for  her  guilty  brother. 

Sleepless  nights,  weary  tossings,  the  all- 
night  prayers,  the  tear-bathed  pillows  were  tes- 
timonials to  the  terrific  conflict  raging-  within 
Erma's  bosom.  At  one  time  she  had  about  ar- 
gued her  brother  innocent  to  her  satisfaction. 
She  reasoned  thus:  The  Labor  Union  drove  her 
brother  from  employment  at  the  Bilgal  works, 
debarred  him  from  leaving-  the  city  to  find  other 
work  of  the  kind,  drove  him  to  the  seat  on  the 
carriage  where  he  overheard  the  Labor  Union 
argument  which  corrupted  his  soul.  Then  she 
argued  that  the  policy  of  the  Union  was  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  a  cold-blooded  attempt 
at  murder  by  starvation,  as  its  principles  uni- 
versally applied  would  result  in  the  starvation 
of  all  Negroes.  Her  brother's  blow,  then,  was 
a  blow  in  self-defense,  a  blow  to  strike  down 
that  being  that  was  driving  him  to  the  water's 
edge  and  threatening  to  overwhelm  him  therein. 
But  these  arguments  were  destined  to  be  soon 
overthrown  in  her  mind. 

Announcement  was  made  that  Booker  T. 
Washington,  her  former  teacher  at  Tuskegee, 


OVERSHADOWED.  127 

would  lecture  in  Richmond  on  the  "  Race  Prob- 
lem." Erma  went  to  this  lecture.  Mr.  Wash- 
ington delivered  a  strong*  address  showing  how 
the  situation  of  the  Negro  was  not  altogether  a 
hopeless  one,  and  showing  the  audience  how  the 
Negro  could,  if  he  would,  pull  up  with  all  the 
odds  against  him  ;  how  that  there  was  no  need 
for  moping  and  despondent  brooding.  This 
Erma  felt  was  a  home  thrust  for  John,  for  it 
was  just  this  that  had  made  his  soul  ripe  for 
his  crime.  As  Mr.  Washington  drew  to  the 
close  of  his  remarks,  his  voice  began  to  change 
from  the  earnest  to  the  passionate.  In  tones 
full  of  the  passionate  fire  of  the  orator,  coupled 
with  the  pathos  welling  up  out  of  a  grieved 
soul,  he  said  by  way  of  peroration, 

"  After  all,  after  all,  it  may  be  that  the  Ne- 
gro has  chosen  the  best  weapon  for  the  attain- 
ment of  his  rights  and  privileges.  The  Nihil- 
ist of  Russia  appeals  to  his  bomb  of  dynamite; 
the  American  Indian  to  his  tomahawk  ;  but  the 
American  Negro  has  dropped  upon  his  knees  in 
his  one  room  cabin  and  has  sent  up  a  prayer  to 
God.  After  all,  may  it  not  be  that  his  anguish 
torn  face  and  sorrow-laden  prayer  of  faith  are 
better  weapons  than  the  bomb  of  the  Russian 
Nihilist  and  the  tomahawk  of  the  Indian?  " 

This  one  remark  determined  Erma.  As  she 
now  saw  it,  John's  error  was  in  adopting  the 


128  OVERSHADOWED. 

motto  of  that  Anglo-Saxon  Master  Workman, 
**  If  a  foe  stands  in  our  way  and  nothing  will 
dislodge  him  but  death,  then  he  must  die.'' 
Then  the  thought  flashed  over  her  mind  that  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race,  whose  every  advancing  foot- 
step had  been  planted  in  a  pool  of  blood,  was 
about  to  impart  its  mercilessness  to  the  Negro, 
a  being  of  another  mould.  And  John  was  the 
first  victim  over  whom  the  bloody  shadow  had 
cast  itself.  She  was  determined  to  return  John 
into  the  ways  of  his  fathers.  He  was  to  re- 
nounce the  pathway  of  blood  and  have  recourse 
to  God.  Erma  determined  to  have  John  Wysong 
confess  his  crime  and  take  his  chances  before  a 
court  of  justice,  trusting  to  God  to  befriend  her 
and  him. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A   POLITICAL    TRICK. 

"  Hello,  Christian,  old  boy.  I  am  truly  glad 
to  see  you  back." 

4 '  Thank  you,  friend  Stewart,  thank  you.  I 
confess  that  I  am  much  more  than  glad  to  be 
back.  I  would  not  have  missed  being1  here  this 
year  for  anything1.  Why,  we  are  to  have  a 
Railroad  Bill  before  us  and  the  question  of 
electing  a  United  States  Senator,  and  nobody 
wants  to  miss  good  things  like  those." 

"  You  are  right.  But  from  the  way  the  pa- 
pers read,  you  were  having  a  hot  time  of  it, 
and  we  all  gave  you  up  as  a  gone  chap,  once. 
How  on  earth  did  you  pull  through?  " 

Horace  Christian's  face  took  on  a  serious  ex- 
pression, and  he  looked  around  and  around  anx- 
iously, and  said,  "Come  with  me  over  to  my 
room,  Stewart,  and  I  will  tell  you  the  whole 
story.  The  thing  isn't  altogether  to  my  credit, 
but  I  can  trust  a  chap  like  you." 

Such  was  a  conversation  that  took  place  in 
front  of  the  State  Capitol  at  Richmond  at 
the  close  of  the  first  day's  session  of  the  Legis- 
lature. The  sun  was  just  down  and  flashing  a 

9  (129) 


130  OVERSHADOWED. 

defiant  look  backward  on  coming*  night.  The 
speakers  were  two  members  of  the  House  of 
Delegates.  The  time  is  but  a  short  period  sub- 
sequent to  John  Wysong's  confession  to  Erma. 

Horace  Christian  was  slightly  below  the 
medium  in  stature,  had  dark  eyes  and  facial 
features  of  the  most  commonplace  type.  There 
was  no  marked  peculiarity  about  him,  nothing 
that  would  so  impress  you  that  you  could 
point  him  out  again  if  you  saw  him  in  a 
crowd.  The  two  locked  arms  and  went  walk- 
ing out  of  the  Capitol  yard,  and  over  to  Chris- 
tian's room  in  Ford's  Hotel.  Once  there,  they 
locked  the  door  to  his  room  and  took  seats  at  a 
table  in  the  center  of  the  room.  Christian  of- 
fered Stewart  a  cigar,  and  taking  one  himself, 
lighted  it,  and  leaning  back  in  his  chair,  threw 
one  leg  over  the  table.  Sitting  thus,  his  hat 
on  his  head,  he  began  his  story,  the  gloom  of 
evening  fast  creeping  on. 

4 'Well,  Stewart,  my  election  came  about  in 
this  way.  You  know  my  district  is  a  very 
close  one,  and  a  fellow's  election  is  determined 
by  a  very  few  votes.  On  previous  occasions  I 
had  paid  out  a  little  money  and  bought  up  the 
Negro  vote  to  such  an  extent  as  to  secure  my 
election.  But  this  time  the  Republicans  put 
up  as  their  candidate  an  ex-general  in  the  Con- 
federate Army.  An  Ex-Confederate  who  con- 


OVERSHADOWED.  131 

fesses  to  the  error  of  his  ways  and  joins  the 
Republicans  can  always  rely  on  the  Negroes 
killing-  the  fatted  calf  for  him.  So  my  oppo- 
nent was  just  sweeping  thing's  before  him.  I 
began  to  look  upon  my  candidacy  as  a  forlorn 
hope,  until  an  idea,  which  I  regarded  as  a  bril- 
liant one,  flashed  into  my  mind. 

"You  know,  Stewart,  the  Negro's  weak 
point  is  gratitude  to  the  white  man.  That 
point  in  the  Negro  race  is  over  developed.  I 
have  noticed  that  a  merchant  can  keep  a  Ne- 
gro's trade  forever  by  merely  speaking-  to  him 
kindly.  The  Negro  seems  to  feel  that  he  owes 
the  white  man  his  trade  for  that  friendly 
greeting-,  and  he  will  not  quit  trading  with  him 
to  trade  with  a  member  of  his  own  race.  A 
smile  from  a  white  man  will  go  farther  toward 
getting  a  Negro's  trade  than  a  day's  pleasant 
conversation  from  another  Negro,  the  Negro 
feels  so  grateful  for  the  condescension  of  the 
white  man.  If  a  white  man  cuts  off  a  Negro's 
leg,  expresses  sorrow  for  it,  and  gives  him  a 
cork  one,  accompanied  with  a  kindly  pat  on  his 
shoulder,  that  Negro  feels  under  a  debt  of 
gratitude  to  that  white  man  all  his  days.  I 
reasoned,  then,  that  my  only  salvation  lay  in 
doing  something  to  get  the  gratitude  of  the 
Negro.  Just  now  all  the  gratitude  of  the  Ne- 
groes is  lavished  upon  Southern  whites  who 


132  OVERSHADOWED. 

denounce  lynching".  I  decided  to  get  an  anti- 
lynching  record.  But  I  could  not  get  that  rec- 
ord without  a  lynching.  If  I  was  to  get  to  the 
Legislature  and  have  a  finger  in  the  pie,  I  must 
have  a  lynching.  The  question  had  reduced 
itself  to  this  simple  proposition  ;  no  lynching, 
no  seat  in  the  Legislature,  or  a  lynching  and  a 
seat  in  the  Legislature.  I  argued  with  myself 
that  it  would  not  matter  so  much  with  the  uni- 
verse if  one  more  innocent  Negro  were  lynched. 
Just  one  more  name  to  the  long  list  of  innocents 
slain  would  not  be  such  a  great  addition.  Be- 
sides, I  argued,  if  the  lynching  spirit  goes  on, 
some  innocent  Negro  will  soon  be  lynched  and 
nothing  gained,  but  in  my  case  there  is  some- 
thing to  gain — a  seat  in  the  Assembly  at  a 
most  opportune  time. 

"Having  toned  my  conscience  dow^n,  I  began 
to  concoct  my  scheme.  Of  course,  that  was 
the  easiest  part  of  the  job.  You  know  that  in 
the  chivalrous  South  whenever  a  white  woman 
throws  out  a  hint  against  a  Negro,  he  might 
as  well  make  his  will.  I  decided  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  this  chivalrous  feeling  and  make  it 
serve  my  purposes.  A  false  charge  was 
trumped  up  against  a  Negro,  and  he  was  soon 
in  the  hands  of  a  mob.  According  to  prear- 
ranged plans,  the  Negro  was  being  led  forth  to 
the  place  where  he  was  to  be  hanged,  when  I 


OVERSHADOWED.  133 

came  upon  the  scene  and  besought  the  mob  to 
halt.  This  they  did,  and  listened  to  remarks 
from  me,  denunciatory  of  their  proposed  ac- 
tions. Only  the  leaders  knew  of  my  true  rela- 
tion to  the  whole  affair. 

"  The  fury  of  the  mob  had  been  aroused  to 
such  a  pitch  that  nothing"  could  induce  them  to 
desist.  That  Negro  did  look  at  me  so  appeal- 
ingly,  evidently  regarding  me  as  his  only  possi- 
ble hope.  Finally  the  crowd  became  impatient 
at  listening  to  my  harangue.  They  started 
off  with  the  Negro.  I  then  drew  my  pistol  as 
if  about  to  kill  and  be  killed  for  his  sake.  I 
was  overpowered  in  short  order  ;  but  that  one 
deed,  the  drawing  of  that  pistol,  has  made  me 
solid  forever.  The  poor  Negro  was  taken  near 
the  scene  of  the  alleged  crime  and  was  hanged 
and  riddled  with  bullets. 

4'That  night  I  could  not  sleep.  About  twelve 
o'clock  I  got  out  of  the  bed  and  dressed.  The 
moon  was  gleaming  down  upon  the  earth. 
Something  drew  me  irresistibly  to  the  scene  of 
the  lynching.  The. murdered  Negro  was  yet 
hanging  there,  and  by  the  light  of  the  moon 
struggling  through  the  treetops  and  falling  in 
spangles  over  his  form,  I  saw  a  horrible  sight. 
The  face  was  ploughed  up  with  bullets,  his 
eyes  were  bulging  out,  his  stomach  was  ripped 
open  and  his  entrails  were  visible.  On  his 


134  OVERSHADOWED. 

breast  there  was  a  placard,  and  an  inward 
voice  seemed  to  say  to  me,  '  Read  ! '  With 
my  hair  rising  on  my  head  and  the  strangest 
feeling  I  ever  had  in  my  life  stealing  over  me, 
I  crept  up  to  the  body.  I  could  not  see  dis- 
tinctly, so  I  struck  a  match  and  read  these 
words :  '  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 
shall  he  also  reap.'  I  looked  up  at  the  bulging 
eyes,  and  they  seemed  to  be  trying  to  speak 
to  me  and  say,  'Thou  art  the  man.'  My 
strength  failed  me,  and  I  fell  forward,  and, 
clutching  at  anything  to  keep  from  striking 
the  ground,  caught  hold  of  the  dead  Negro. 
My  weight,  added  to  his,  broke  the  rope,  and 
we  fell  down  together,  my  head  getting  caught 
under  his  mangled  form. 

"  But,  Stewart,  the  story  is  too  uncanny.  I 
can't  go  on  with  it  !  "  His  voice  now  grew  loud 
and  wild.  "  I  would  like  to  tell  you  about  my 
dream.  Oh  !  it  was  awful.  But  I  can't  tell  it  to 
you  !  That  queer  feeling  is  stealing  over  me. 
My  hair  is  rising  now.  Don't  you  hear  my  teeth 
chattering  !  Light  the  lamp  !  Light  the  lamp, 
Stewart!"  Christian  was  now  standing  up, 
grasping  the  table  in  terror,  and  shaking  like 
an  aspen  leaf. 

Suddenly  a  rap  was  heard  at  the  door. 
Christian  cried  out  with  the  terror  of  a  child, 
"Oh,  don't  open  that  door,  Stewart,  don't! 


OVERSHADOWED.  135 

That  nigger  will  come  in  !  "  Stewart  lighted 
the  lamp,  and  this  had  the  effect  of  restoring 
Christian  to  his  normal  condition.  Christian 
now  went  to  the  door  and  opened  it  himself. 

"Why,  Speaker  Lanier!  Come  in,  Mr. 
Speaker,  come  in  ;  your  call  does  me  a  signal 
honor,"  he  said.  Mr.  Lanier  was  a  large,  tall 
man,  of  grave  aspect,  and  of  a  commanding  ap- 
pearance. "Reseated,  Mr.  Lanier,  be  seated." 
Speaker  Lanier  sat  down  and  let  his  eyes  rove 
around  the  room.  He  caught  sight  of  the  grave 
look  on  Stewart's  face,  and  inquired  the  cause. 

"  Oh,  nothing,  Mr.  Speaker.  A  nigger  stood 
in  the  way  of  my  coming  to  the  Legislature,  so 
I  just  killed  him.  I  have  been  telling  Stewart 
about  it,"  said  Christian. 

"In  cold  blood?"  asked  Lanier. 

"  Oh,  it's  a  small  matter  about  the  sort  of 
blood,"  laughed  Christian.  "Killing  a  nigger 
does  not  amount  to  anything.  A  man  isn't  pop- 
ular these  days  unless  he  kills  a  nigger.  I  have 
got  mine."  Lanier  looked  at  Christian  con- 
temptuously. The  subject  was  so  disgusting 
that  he  hastened  to  discard  it  at  once. 

''Say,  boys,"  said  Lanier.  "I  have  just 
come  from  the  house  of  Ex-Mayor  Turner's 
wife,  and  she  has  sent  me  to  you  all  on  the 
queerest  mission  possible.  It  comes  about  in 
this  way. 


136  OVERSHADOWED. 

"You  know  she  has  staying"  with  her,  a  Ne- 
gro girl,  Erma  Wysong,  who  is  currently  be- 
lieved to  be  the  daughter  of  Ex-Governor  Law- 
son.  This  girl  has  so  favorably  impressed 
Mrs.  Turner  and  has  so  elevated  the  opinion  of 
the  people  as  to  the  capabilities  of  Negroes, 
that  Mrs.  Turner  has  decided  to  use  a  number 
of  Negro  girls  to  kill  off  inimical  legislation 
relative  to  the  Negro  race,  which  legislation 
threatens  them  at  this  session.  You  know  a 
determined  effort  will  be  made  to  pass  a  sepa- 
rate coach  bill ;  and  also  a  law  so  dividing  the 
school  funds  that  Negro  children  shall  get  only 
that  proportion  of  school  money  that  conies 
from  taxes  paid  on  Negro  property.  Of  course 
that  means  death  to  the  Negro  schools.  Well, 
Mrs.  Turner  wishes  to  defeat  these  bills  and 
desires  to  have  the  credit  of  the  performance. 
Here  is  her  idea.  She  holds  that  the  social  tie 
has  been  the  assuager  of  all  racial  antagonisms 
in  history  and  that  what  makes  the  Negro  Race 
Problem  so  hard  of  solution  is  that  the  social 
factor  is  missing  and  ever  shall  be. 

**  She  has  decided  to  employ  this  idea  of  the 
power  of  social  influence  in  dealing  with  the 
pending  legislation.  She  wishes  to  hold  at  her 
house  a  number  of  fetes  at  which  no  one  shall 
be  present  but  about  twenty  young  Negro  wo- 
men of  the  very  purest  and  highest  type  in  their 


OVERSHADOWED.  137 

race,  tog-ether  with  an  equal  number  of  the 
leaders  in  the  Legislature.  She  wishes  to  bring- 
you  all  together  in  this  secret  way  for  a  pur- 
pose which  she  regards  as  lofty,  even  to  the 
sublime. 

"Of  course,  as  Speaker,  I  am  not  supposed 
to  influence  legislation  too  strongly  in  a  parti- 
san way,  so  I  shall  not  be  asked  to  the  fetes. 
But  you  fellows  can  go  to  talk  with  and  listen 
to  the  g-irls.  One  thing,  coming  in  contact 
with  the  better  element  of  the  race,  you  can 
form  a  more  correct  opinion  of  it.  What  say 
you,  boys  ?  " 

**  Oh,  I  am  in  for  it,  Hon.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  am 
in  for  it.  I  need  something  to  divert  my  mind 
this  session.  What  do  you  say,  Stewart?  "  re- 
marked Christian. 

'  Well,  after  your  weird  tale,  I  need  a  diver- 
sion, too.  So  put  me  down  as  all  rig-ht.  When 
the  music  starts,  I  will  be  there  to  dance." 

"  One  thing,  boys,  I  was  asked  to  say  to  you, 
by  all  means.  You  are  asked  to  pledge  your 
most  sacred  honor  to  me  on  two  things  :  first, 
you  are  not  to  breathe  the  matter  to  your 
warmest  friends  ;  second,  as  the  honor  of  Mrs. 
Turner's  house  is  at  stake,  you  are  implored  by 
her  to  pledge  me  upon  your  honor  to  treat  the 
g-irls  as  ladies.  They  come  from  the  best 
homes,  and  a  misfortune  would  be  a  most  dam- 
aging- and  blighting  affair.  Do  you  promise  ?  " 


138  OVERSHADOWED. 

"Oh,  yes;  we  promise  you  faithfully,"  said 
Christian,  winking-  slyly  at  Stewart. 

"Well,  that  is  all  settled,  then,"  said  La- 
nier.  "  By  the  way/'  he  continued,  "  you  will 
find  that  Erma  Wysong-  a  g-em.  She  is  as 
beautiful  as  a  mermaid  and  as  g-ifted  as  any 
girl  I  ever  met.  She  made  a  strange  request 
of  me  just  as  I  was  leaving*.  She  caught  hold 
of  my  hand  and  said,  excitedly,  with  a  plead- 
ing- look  in  her  eyes,  '  Mr.  Lanier,  they  tell 
me  that  you  are  a  great  man,  a  man  of  wide 
influence.  Will  you  promise  an  orphan  girl, 
sorely  troubled  at  heart,  that  you  will  use  your 
powerful  influence  in  her  behalf  if  ever  she 
stands  in  need  of  it  and  if  such  action  will  not 
violate  }^our  sense  of  rig-ht  ? '  A  man  with  a 
heart  of  stone  could  not  have  resisted  such 
pleading's  as  that  from  such  a  source.  I  g-ave 
my  most  solemn  word,  and  when  the  time  comes, 
be  it  soon  or  late,  I  shall  redeem  it.  Well, 
boys,  I  must  hurry  away.  I  have  an  appoint- 
ment with  the  Lieutenant  Governor  as  to  some 
matters  to  come  up  in  the  Senate  to-morrow. 
Remember  your  pledges.  Good  night." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

PAVING  THE:  WAY. 

Because  Erma  Wysongf  had  found  favor  in 
the  eyes  of  the  rich  white  people  of  Richmond, 
the  colored  g-irls  were  now  ready  to  receive  her 
back  with  open  arms,  though  in  their  hearts 
opposed  to  her.  True,  they  grumbled  about 
white  folks  honoring1  a  servant  girl  and  felt 
that  they,  the  "anti- workers,"  the  brain  force, 
should  have  been  recog'nized  as  representatives 
of  the  highest  type  of  Neg*ro  womanhood.  But 
grumble  as  much  as  they  migfht,  they  bowed  to 
the  decree  of  the  whites  exalting*  Erma.  So, 
when  Erma  came  to  them  with  Mrs.  Turner's 
proposal  concerning*  social  fetes  with  the  legis- 
lators, they  received  her  kindly.  The  clandes- 
tine meeting1  with  the  legislators,  though  for  a 
most  worthy  cause,  looked  decidely  shady  to 
these  girls,  but  when  they  remembered  that  the 
widow  of  the  Ex-Mayor  sugg-ested  it  and  would 
be  in  it  throug-hout,  they  threw  qualms  of  con- 
science to  the  winds  and  decided  to  embark 
upon  the  enterprise. 

The  affair  was  not  at  all  to  Erma's  liking-, 
but  four  thing's  influenced  her.  First,  she  had 

(139) 


140  OVERSHADOWED. 

the  most  implicit  confidence  in  Mrs.  Turner,  and 
from  experience  had  learned  that  her  motives 
were  always  pure  and  exalted  and  her  judgment 
usually  sound.  Second,  she  was  profoundly 
concerned  about  the  education  of  the  Negro 
children  and  felt  that  that  was  a  matter  that 
had  the  right  to  command  any  sacrifice  not  in- 
volving" the  loss  of  character.  Third,  she  was 
anxious  for  the  moulders  of  public  sentiment  to 
meet,  if  not  but  for  the  once,  the  purity  and  in- 
telligence of  the  race,  the  character  of  a  people 
being-  so  largely  judged  by  their  women. 
Fourth,  the  overshadowing  thought  that  swept 
away  the  last  vestige  of  resistance  was  ICrma's 
hope  that  she  could  use  these  fetes  as  a  place 
where  she  could  extend  her  influence  over  men 
of  high  standing  and  great  influence  who  could 
be  of  service  to  her  and  to  John  when  he  was  to 
walk  at  her  bidding  within  the  shadow  of  the 
gallows.  So  the  affair  was  launched  upon  a 
grand  scale,  though  conducted  with  the  great- 
est secrecy.  The  young  legislators  responded 
with  alacrity  to  each  of  the  numerous  calls  that 
Mrs.  Turner  made.  The  girls  would  attend 
the  Legislature  each  day,  listen  to  the  various 
speeches,  and  at  the  fetes  discuss  them  intelli- 
gently with  the  young  men. 

Mrs.  Turner  was  delighted  with  her  scheme, 
and    noticed    how    respectful,    deferential    and 


OVERSHADOWED.  141 

truly  gallant  were  the  young"  men.  No  per- 
sonal appeals  were'  made  to  any  of  them  to 
change  their  votes,  but  these  fetes  afforded  the 
Negro  girls  the  opportunity  of  putting-  the 
questions  from  the  view  point  of  their  race. 
This  could  not  be  done  on  the  floor  of  the  Leg- 
islature  as  the  Negroes  had  no  representation 
there.  Erma  with  her  quiet,  sweet,  genial, 
charming'  face  moved  about  among1  them  win- 
ning the  deepest  regard  of  all.  Margaret  Mars- 
ton,  a  girl  whom  you  have  met  before  in  our 
stor}^,  was  one  of  the  twenty,  and  distinguished 
herself  by  her  costly  attire.  Her  costumes 
were  incomparably  finer  than  those  worn  by 
any  of  the  other  girls. 

At  length  the  day  for  voting  on  the  two  meas- 
ures came.  All  Richmond  and  the  State  at 
large  were  aroused  over  the  question  of  divid- 
ing the  school  fund  and  the  providing  of  sepa- 
rate coaches  for  colored  people.  The  debate 
waxed  warm  and  furious.  Excitement  ran  high 
as  man  after  man  arose  and  spoke  in  ringing 
tones  in  denunciation  of  the  measures.  When 
the  measures  in  their  turn  were  submitted  to  a 
vote  they  were  defeated  by  safe  majorities. 
Loud  and  long  was  the  applause,  (especially 
so  in  one  corner  of  the  ladies'  gallery)  when  the 
result  of  the  vote  was  announced.  It  was  con- 
ceded by  all  that  the  speech  of  the  day  was  de- 


142  OVERSHADOWED. 

livered  by  the  Hon.  Horace  Christian.  He 
spoke  with  so  much  eloquence  and  power  and  so 
far  excelled  his  every  previous  effort,  that  friend 
and  foe  united  in  giving*  him  unstinted  praise. 
Mrs.  Turner  gave  a  fete  of  extraordinary  bril- 
liancy in  commemoration  of  the  fact  that  her 
end  had  been  achieved,  for  she  was  indeed 
happy.  That  was  a  happy  occasion  that  night. 
The  very  atmosphere  seemed  charged  with  joy. 

There  are  spots  on  the  sun. 

In  one  corner  of  the  room  on  a  divan  sat  Mar- 
garet Marston  and  Horace  Christian.  Marga- 
ret's womanly  form  was  wearing  its  most 
lovely  drapery  on  this  occasion.  Her  rounded 
forehead  and  black  curly  hair  were  befitting 
capstones  of  this  splendid  specimen  of  physi- 
cal beauty.  Margaret's  large,  lustrous,  eyes 
are  now  cast  down  upon  her  fan,  with  which 
she  is  toying  nervously.  She  is  speaking  in 
a  somewhat  low  tone  to  Mr.  Christian.  She 
half  murmurs,  "Yes,  Mr.  Christian  I  have 
been  trying  ever  so  hard  to  get  near  you  all 
the  evening.  I  must,  Oh  I  must  congratulate 
you  on  that  speech.  It  was  most  masterly." 
Her  manner  and  her  tones,  not  her  words, 
awakened  sinister  thoughts  in  Mr.  Christian. 
He  looked  down  at  Margaret,  intently,  search- 
ingly.  Her  eves  would  not  meet  his.  She  con- 
tinued, "  Oh,  it  was  just  grand  !  I  could  have- 


OVERSHADOWED.  143 

could  have-just-just  kissed  you.  There,  now, 
it  is  out."  So  saying-  she  arose  and  casting- a 
timid  look  in  his  direction  went  to  another  part 
of  the  room  and  avoided  his  g*aze  the  rest 
of  the  evening.  The  party  broke  up  joyously, 
and  happy  people  went  home  to  peaceful  slum- 
bers. But  the  serpent  had  crept  into  the  Gar- 
den of  Eden.  These  fetes  went  on  during-  the 
entire  session,  Mrs.  Turner  fearing-  that  an 
attempt  mig-ht  be  made  to  resurrect  the  bills 
and  pass  them.  It  was  afterwards  remembered 
that  on  two  or  three  occasions  all  of  the  young- 
women  were  present  but  Margaret  and  that 
on  these  same  occasions  Horace  Christian  was 
likewise  away. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

JOHN   WYSONG    CONFESSES. 

The  session  of  the  Legislature  came  to  a 
close,  leaving1  the  separate  coach  law  and  the 
bill  for  dividing-  the  school  funds  buried  under 
adverse  votes.  During-  the  session  Erma  had 
won  the  esteem  and  friendship  of  persons  hig-h 
up  in  business,  social  and  political  life,  and  she 
felt  that  she  could  rely  upon  them  to  do  all 
within  their  power  to  give  John  Wysong-  a  fair 
and  impartial  trial,  and  felt  that  they  would 
co-operate  with  her  to  secure  for  him  the  very 
lightest  sentence  possible. 

Erma  had  John  to  come  to  her  room.  She 
told  him  of  the  long-  list  of  her  influential  friends, 
and  showed  him  how  each  one  could  be  of  serv- 
ice to  them  in  the  time  of  need.  She  then  told 
him  that  as  he  had  violated  the  laws  of  org-an- 
ized  society,  which  laws  the  Bible  commanded 
him  to  obey,  he  ought  to  suffer  for  his  crime. 
She  told  him  that  by  g*oing-  to  the  authorities 
and  surrendering-  he  would  commend  himself 
to  their  sympathy.  She  felt,  too,  that  the 
Master  Workman's  treatment  of  John,  if 
brought  out  in  court,  would  serve  to  mitig-ate 

(144) 


OVERSHADOWED.  145 

the  heinousness  of  the  offense  in  the  e}Tes  of  the 
jury.  Thus  John,  willing*  to  suffer  many  years' 
imprisonment  for  a  crime  which  his  soul  had 
so  long-  since  repudiated,  hopeful  of  a  merciful 
sentence,  having-  faith  in  Erma  and  her  friends, 
trusting-  in  God,  went  down  to  the  police  sta- 
tion and  electrified  the  nation  with  the  full  con- 
fession of  his  crime.  He  was  placed  under  ar- 
rest and  remanded  to  jail  for  trial. 

At  first  the  tone  of  the  daily  press  was  some- 
what sympathetic ;  and  thereupon  the  various 
Labor  Unions  became  enraged.  The  printers 
belonging-  to  the  Unions  and  working-  for 
these  newspapers  refused  to  set  up  articles  cal- 
culated to  create  sentiment  in  John  Wysong-'s 
favor.  They  even  threatened  to  strike  and 
boycott  the  papers  showing-  friendliness  to  the 
Negro  that  had  murdered  their  Master  Work- 
man. The  newspapers,  finding-  the  current  of 
public  sentiment  too  strong-  to  breast,  turned, 
and  their  columns  began  to  be  filled  with  inflam- 
matory articles.  Even  the  vicious  element  of 
the  city  was  aroused  and  Erma's  group  of 
personal  friends  became  powerless.  Mr.  La- 
mer, the  Speaker,  worked  like  a  Trojan  in  a 
quiet  way,  but  his  efforts  were  of  no  avail. 
The  case  drifted  into  a  race  question  and  not  one 
of  justice  and  mercy,  a  happening-  that  so  often 
occurs  where  two  distinct  races  live  tog-ether. 
10 


146  OVERSHADOWED. 

At  length  the  day  for  the  trial  of  John  Wy- 
song  came.  He  was  duly  arraigned,  tried  and 
convicted  of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  the 
jury  (nine  of  them  being  Union  men  and  all 
being  white)  not  leaving  its  seat.  The  pen- 
alty was  assessed  at  death  on  the  gallows 
and  sentence  was  duh7  passed  that  John  Wy- 
song,  thirty  days  from  that  date,  be  hanged  by 
the  neck  until  dead. 

Poor  Erma. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ADDED    SORROWS. 

Gentle  reader,  we  could  not  if  we  would,  and 
we  would  not  if  we  could,  lead  you  through  the 
darkened  chambers  of  Erma's  soul  on  the  days 
succeeding-  the  trial  and  sentence  of  her  brother. 
The  aching-  of  the  cords  of  love  that  bound  her 
to  John,  the  fear  of  the  reproach  of  her  dead 
mother,  the  jubilation  of  the  mob,  the  seeming" 
abandonment  of  her  by  Providence,  were  too 
much  for  her  human  frame,  and  she  fell  danger- 
ously  ill,  adding-  bodily  to  spiritual  afflictions. 
It  was  ang-uish  to  those  whose  duty  it  was  to 
sit  by  her  bedside  at  her  home.  One  day  when 
Errna  was  resting-  a  little  more  quietly  than 
usual,  those  in  attendance  upon  her  handed  her 
a  sealed  letter,  the  envelope  being-  one  of  mourn- 
ing-. Erma  looked  at  the  letter  fearfully,  and 
turned  her  eyes,  now  full  of  tears,  up  to  God, 
as  if  in  reproach  of  the  way  he  was  allowing 
the  millstones  to  grind  her  to  powder.  Erma 
was  trembling  as  she  tore  open  the  letter  and 
sought  first  of  all  for  the  signature.  The  let- 
ter was  from  Margaret  Marston.  It  read  thus  : 

(147) 


148  OVERSHADOWED. 

"MY  DEAR  ERMA: 

"Our  family  physician  came  to  see  me  this 
morning",  and  he  tells  me  that  I  am  a  ruined 
girl.  1  know  only  too  well  that  all  he  says  is 
true.  So  I  am  going  to  New  York  to  do  I 
know  not  what.  I  write  you  this  letter  to  beg 
you  to  forgive  me  for  a  wrong  which  I  perpe- 
trated against  you  long  since.  You  will  re- 
member that  our  doctor,  who  was  here  to  wit- 
ness my  disgrace  this  morning,  had  you  put 
out  of  church  because  you  went  to  work.  I 
was  the  one  who  worked  up  that  sentiment 
against  you  and  caused  your  ejection.  I, 
the  one  who  was  above  work,  trying  to  act 
like  the  white  society  girl,  should  have 
been  thrown  out  instead  of  yourself.  It  was 
my  idleness,  my  failure  to  earn  money,  my 
attempt  to  keep  up  with  the  fashions  set 
by  the  wealthy  that  has  wrought  my  ruin. 
Horace  Christian,  whom  we  met  at  Mrs. 
Turner's  fete,  won  my  love.  My  love  of  him, 
coupled  with  my  desire  to  dress,  my  poverty, 
my  failure  to  seek  such  work  as  abounded,  my 
idleness  and  that  peculiar  influence  which  a 
distinguished  man  of  a  distinguished  race  exer- 
cises over  a  poor  girl  too  appreciative  of  what 
appears  to  her  a  condescension — these  things 
were  forces  too  powerful  for  me  to  resist,  and 
so  I  fell.  Erma,  never  allow  Mrs.  Turner  to 
bring  our  girls  into  such  contact  ag-ain,  as  a 
young  white  man  has  nothing  on  earth  to  deter 
him  from  wrecking  our  homes.  There  is  no 
penalty  for  his  offense  before  the  law  nor  in 
society.  No  sort  of  ostracism  overtakes  him  any- 


OVERSHADOWED.  149 

where  for  taking"  advantage  of  the  weaknesses 
of  Negro  girls.  How  free  the  young  white  man 
feels  under  existing  social  conditions  to  prey 
upon  our  morals !  Our  families  are  so  filled 
with  contempt  over  our  disgrace  that  the}*  seek 
not  to  avenge  our  fall.  So,  I  go  on  my  down- 
ward journey,  and  Mr.  Christian  moves  up- 
ward to  the  highest  places  within  the  gift  of 
his  people.  Do  what  you  can,  Erma,  to  see 
that  a  similar  fate  overtakes  not  another  girl. 
Farewell. 

"  MARGARET." 

44  Let  me  up!  Let  me  up!"  cried  Erma, 
springing  from  the  couch  on  which  she  lay. 

Despite  the  protests  and  the  determined  resist- 
ance of  her  attendants,  Erma  was  soon  dressed 
and  walking  rapidly  toward  Mrs.  Turner's. 
Her  attendants,  thinking  that  the  shock  had 
perhaps  cured  Erma  of  her  troubles,  which 
were  more  mental  than  physical,  contented 
themselves  with  following  her  at  a  distance. 
She  entered  Mrs.  Turner's  home,  and  said, 
"  Mrs.  Turner,  I  trusted  your  word  that 
you  were  introducing  us  to  gentlemen.  Now 
behold  the  work  of  Horace  Christian."  She 
thereupon  handed  Mrs.  Turner  the  letter,  and 
waited  anxiously  for  her  comment. 

Mrs.  Turner's  face  flushed  with  anger  as 
she  read  of  the  baseness  of  Horace  Christian. 
She  said,  "Erma,  I  cannot  recall  Margaret 


150  OVERSHADOWED. 

Marston  to  a  pure  existence,  'tis  true,  but  I  shall 
see  to  it  that  the  same  punishment  is  meted 
to  that  scoundrel  Christian  that  would  befall 
him  if  Margaret  were  my  own  daughter  Pran- 
zetta.  The  honor  of  my  home  is  involved,  and 
be  assured  that  we  have  come  upon  one  white 
man,  the  despoiler  of  a  Negro  home,  that  shall 
not  escape  unpunished.  Trust  that  •  to  me. 
Ah,  Erma  !  I  fear  that  the  social  factor  must 
be  ever  missing  in  the  solution  of  your  race 
problem.  Wherever  and  whenever,  in  other 
countries,  race  problems  have  arisen  (and  there 
have  been  many  such  to  arise),  the  softening 
influences  of  the  marriage  tie  and  social  inter- 
mingling have  acted  upon  the  icebergs  of  race 
prejudice  like  a  southern  sun.  But  my  efforts 
prove  that  this  factor  must  ever  be  missing.  It 
is  sad,  sad,  sad,  but  it  is  inevitable.  The  mar- 
riage tie  we  do  not  want.  All  social  functions 
gravitate  in  that  direction,  we  see  ;  the  two 
cannot  be  disassociated.  As  we  do  not  desire 
the  one,  we  must  not  tolerate  the  other,  I  find  at 
so  sad  a  cost."  I  wash  my  hands  of  the  attempt. 
God  knows  that  my  heart  was  true.  But,  Chris- 
tian !  Christian  !  Tremble,  wretch,  wherever 
you  are  !  Stay,  Erma,  I  wish  to  call  up  Mr. 
Lanier."  She  went  to  the  telephone  and  called 
up  Mr.  Lanier,  urging  him  to  come  to  her 
house  at  once.  He  came,  and  Erma  retired  to 


OVERSHADOWED.  151 

another  room  while  they  talked.  They  were 
thus  eng-ag-ed  for  about  three  hours.  Finally, 
they  called  in  Erma.  There  was  a  happy,  re- 
lieved look  on  Mrs.  Turner's  face,  and  a  -grave 
one  on  Lanier's. 

Mr.  Lanier  said,  "Miss  Wysong",  Mrs. 
Turner  has  told  me  all.  By  the  heart  of  my 
sainted  mother,  and  upon  the  honor  of  my  vir- 
g-in  sister,  I  swear  to  you  that  Marg-aret  Mars- 
ton  shall  be  aveng-ed.  Ag-ain,  let  me  say  that, 
to  my  mind,  your  brother  is  entitled  to  mercy, 
and  he  shall  not  hang*." 

Erma  sprang-  to  Mr.  Lanier's  side,  grasped 
him  by  the  arm  and  looked  searching'ly  into  his 
face,  but  he  said  no  more.  Bidding-  the  two 
adieu,  he  left,  haunted  by  Erma's  beautiful 
face,  where  all  the  sorrow  of  the  world  seemed 
to  have  taken  up  its  abode. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


SPEAKER  LANIER. 

Lanier  walked  forth  from  Mrs.  Turner's 
house  an  enraged  man.  Horace  Christian's 
slighting  reference  to  his  (Christian's)  having 
killed  a  Negro  came  back  to  him  now.  Chris- 
tian's utter  disregard  of  the  solemn  promise 
made  to  him  relative  to  treating  the  Negro 
girls  as  ladies  intensified  Lanier's  contempt  for 
his  moral  nature.  Before  taking  any  action  he 
decided  to  find  out  all  about  each  of  these 
crimes  of  Christian,  the  killing  of  the  Negro 
and  the  betrayal  of  Margaret  Marston. 

Christian  had  not  gone  away  from  Richmond 
as  yet,  though  the  Legislature  had  adjourned. 
Lanier  called  to  see  him  and  at  first  engaged 
him  in  a  conversation  on  subjects  of  minor 
importance  to  throw  him  off  his  guard.  Later 
he  found  it  convenient  to  address  him  as  fol- 
lows :  4i  By  the  way,  Christian,  you  have  never 
told  me  about  that  frolic  you  had  with  that 
Negro.  You  were  telling  Stewart  about  it 
when  I  called  to  see  you  at  the  first  of  the  leg- 
islative session  just  closed." 

(152) 


OVERSHADOWED.  153 

Christian  said,  "Excuse  me,  Mr.  Lanier,  but 
the  deed  was  too  cold-blooded  to  be  mentioned. 
The  darky  had  never  done  me  a  bit  of  harm  and 
I  have  never  gotten  over  what  I  did." 

"I  suppose  that  that  is  what  made  you  so 
gay  this  session.  I  have  heard  of  your  little  in- 
trigue with  Margaret  Marston." 

"Ha,  ha,  ha  !  Have  you  heard  of  that  ?  I  did 
not  know  it  was  out.  I  suppose  there  will 
soon  be  a  young  African  calling  me  daddy. 
Ha!  Ha!  Ha!  " 

Lanier  was  so  disgusted  with  Christian  that 
he  could  hardly  repress  manifestations  of  his  re- 
pugnance. He  found  some  way  of  excusing 
himself  and  went  to  his  own  room.  He  locked 
himself  up  in  his  room  and  walked  to  and  fro. 
He  had  two  great  problems  on  his  hands.  One 
was  to  save  John  Wysong  from  the  gallows,  the 
other  was  to  kill  Horace  Christian.  At  length 
a  plan  suggested  itself  to  him,  and  he  grasped 
his  hat  to  examine  into  its  feasibility.  He  went 
down  to  the  jail  in  which  John  Wysong  was 
incarcerated,  and  being  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance of  the  jailer,  he  was  allowed  to  visit  John 
privately  in  his  cell.  In  fact,  the  jailer  owed 
his  appointment  to  Lanier's  influence.  Lanier 
had  John  Wysong  to  stand  up.  He  eyed  him 
closely  from  head  to  foot.  He  then  had  John  to 
turn  his  back  to  him,  which  Lanier  examined 


154  OVERSHADOWED. 

thoroughly.  He  next  examined  his  hands  and 
his  feet.  He  reached  in  his  vest  pocket  and 
drew  out  a  tape  line  with  which  he  measured 
John  accurately  and  thoroughly,  taking  a  rec- 
ord of  the  measurements.  Having  obtained  the 
information  he  desired  he  started  to  leave,  when 
he  caught  sight  of  a  burned  place  behind  John's 
ear.  He  stopped  and  looked  at  that  closely. 
He  then  said  to  John,  "  If  the  jailer  seeks  to 
cut  off  your  hair  you  must  not  let  him.  Plead 
with  him  to  the  very  last.  Your  life  depends 
upon  it."  So  saying  he  gave  another  scruti- 
nizing look  at  John  and  then  left.  From  the 
jail  he  wTent  to  the  tailor  shop  where  a  number 
of  the  legislators  always  had  their  clothes 
made.  He  took  the  book  in  which  the  tailor 
kept  the  measurements  of  his  regular  customers 
and  on  the  pretence  of  copying  his  own  meas- 
urements, copied  those  of  Christian.  He  now 
took  these  to  his  room  and  placed  them  before 
him,  by  the  side  of  those  of  John  Wysoug.  He 
was  astonished  at  how  the  two  ran  together, 
only  differing  by  half  and  quarter  inches.  He 
paid  Christian  a  visit  and  while  they  indulged 
in  ordinary  chat  he  noticed  every  feature  of 
Christian's  face.  John  Wysong's  lips  were 
larger  than  those  of  Christian,  while  their  noses 
were  about  the  same  size.  There  was  just  a 
shade  of  difference  in  the  color  of  their  eyes. 


OVERSHADOWED.  155 

Christian's  cheeks  were  not  quite  as  full  as 
those  of  John.  Other  than  this,  if  Christian 
were  black  there  would  be  scarcely  anything* 
to  distinguish  him  from  John,  as  John  was  a 
Negro  of  the  most  common  place  type  as  to 
features  and  Christian  was  a  white  man  of 
the  same  mould.  Of  course  there  was  a  world 
of  difference  as  to  their  hair.  Lanier  was  now 
convinced  that  shrewd  management  would  en- 
able him  to  carry  out  his  plans. 

Knowing-  where  the  jailer's  mother  lived  he 
boarded  a  train  and  went  to  that  place.  La- 
nier found  a  person  suited  to  his  purpose  and  left 
in  his  possession  a  telegram  to.  the  jailer  in- 
forming' him  that  a  dying1  mother  desired  to  see 
him.  This  telegram  was  dated  the  day  before 
John  Wysong-  was  to  be  executed  and  was  to 
be  sent  on  that  day  in  time  for  the  jailer  to 
catch  the  afternoon  train  leaving1  for  his  moth- 
er's home.  By  another  device  he  so  arranged 
as  to  get  the  death  watch  who  had  had  special 
care  of  John  out  of  the  way.  He  next  bought 
a  quantity  of  a  solution  which  is  said  to  be  used 
by  burglars  and  criminals  in  general  of  the 
white  race,  who  at  anv  time  desire  to  pass  for 
Negroes.  The  secret  of  the  compound  was 
guarded  so  closely  that  Lanier  experienced  con- 
siderable difficulty  in  getting  hold  of  it.  But  he 
secured  a  large  quantity  of  it,  as  well  as  the 


156  OVERSHADOWED. 

counter  solution  enabling-  him  to  cleanse  himself 
quickly  and  thus  become  white  again.  He  now 
goes  to  Christian  on  the  day  before  John  Wy- 
song  was  to  be  hanged  and  said  : 

"  Christian,  let  us  have  a  little  frolic  to- 
night ;  let  us  get  our  hair  cut  real  close,  paint 
ourselves  black  all  over,  using  a  solution  which 
I  have.  I  have  another  solution  which  will 
cleanse  us  immediately.  Let  us  go  among  the 
darky  belles  and  have  a  good  time." 

"  Bully,  Lanier,  bully.  I  am  in  for  it.  Since 
Margaret  left  I  have  had  the  blues.  I  want  a 
little  fun.  But  say,  you  are  a  sly  chap.  With 
your  grave  looks  we  would  not  have  thought 
anything  like  this  was  in  you.  Yes,  I  am  in 
for  it.  What  time  will  you  be  here  ?  " 

"At  about  ten  o'clock.  Don't  fail  me,  now," 
replied  Lanier. 

**  I  won't.  I  wish  it  was  night  now,"  said 
Christian. 

Lanier  listened  out  for  the  news  from  his  tele- 
gram. It  came  in  and  the  jailer  went  speed- 
ing out  of  town,  but  not  before  Lanier  had  got- 
ten a  permit  to  see  John  Wysong  at  any  time. 
Thanks  to  his  other  device  the  regular  death 
watch  was  out  of  the  way  also.  That  night 
at  Christian's  room  Lanier  and  Christian  trans- 
formed themselves  into  "Negroes"  and  went 
forth. 


OVERSHADOWED.  157 

Lanier  said,  "  Christian,  if  we  happen  to  get 
drunk  to-night  and  are  put  in  the  lockup  you 
must  not  squeal.  You  must  play  "  darky  "  to 
the  last  or  our  enemies  will  get  hold  of  it  and 
we  will  be  done  for  politically." 

44  Don't  be  afraid  of  my  squealing-.  I'll  play 
darky  all  right.  I  won't  mind  getting  arrested 
and  pa}7ing  a  fine,  for  the  sake  of  the  novelty 
of  experiencing  just  what  a  darky  does  go 
through." 

"  All  right ;  now,  Christian,  be  merry.  Play 
your  part  like  a  man." 

The  two  go  to  a  house  of  ill -fame,  where 
Christian  gets  beastly  drunk.  Lanier  slips  out 
and  goes  to  a  place  for  which  he  had  arranged 
beforehand.  He  undresses,  applies  his  solution 
and  is  white  again.  He  grasps  a  valise  in 
which  he  has  a  number  of  things  and  returns 
to  where  he  left  Christian.  He  gets  him  by 
the  arm  and  leads  him  until  he  comes  to  the 
jail  in  which  John  Wysong  was  incarcerated. 
He  aroused  the  substitute  jailer  and,  showing 
him  his  pass,  was  allowed  to  come  in.  He  told 
the  jail  officials  that  he  brought  along  a  fellow 
who  was  going  to  do  a  kindly  act  for  John's 
sister.  The  two,  Lanier  and  Christian,  were 
allowed  to  go  into  John  Wy song's  cell.  Lanier 
left  Christian  in  a  drunken  stupor  in  the  cell 
and  took  the  jailer  and  death  watchman  pro 


158  OVERSHADOWED. 

tern  aside  and  supplied  them  with  whiskey  to 
drink.  It  was  drugged  and  they  were  both 
very  soon  unconscious.  L/anier  seeing  that  they 
were  sound  asleep  returned  to  John  Wysong's 
cell.  He  took  out  a  pair  of  clippers  and  soon 
had  all  of  John  Wysong's  hair  clipped  off  to 
the  scalp.  He  got  from  his  valise  a  wig  made 
of  Negro  hair  just  like  John's,  and  carefully 
adjusted  it  to  Christian's  head.  He  took  out  a 
syringe  and 'injected  a  poison  in  Christian's  up- 
per lip  which  caused  it  to  swell  slightly.  He 
looked  from  Christian  to  John  to  see  how  the 
likeness  grew.  He  next  injected  a  small  quan- 
tity of  the  fluid  into  each  of  Christian's  cheeks 
and  they  came  out.  He  was  astonished  himself 
at  the  resemblance  Christian  now  bore  to  John. 
He  had  omitted  to  fix  the  lower  lip  which  he 
now  did  and  stood  off  and  surveyed  his  work. 
Mr.  Lanier  and  John  together  then  undressed 
Christian,  putting  Christian's  clothes  on  John 
and  John's  clothes  on  Christian.  I/anier  now 
examined  the  wig  again  and  saw  to  it  that  it 
was  so  closely  connected  with  the  scalp  that 
only  the  most  rigid  examination  would  reveal 
that  it  was  a  wig.  He  observed  that  the  rep- 
resentation of  the  scar  behind  John's  neck  was 
in  exactly  the  right  place,  in  the  adjustment  of 
the  wig  to  Christian's  head.  Christian's  feet 
were  somewhat  smaller  than  John's,  but  shoes 


OVERSHADOWED.  159 

were  exchanged  anyway,  John  cutting1  Chris- 
tian's open  to  get  his  feet  into  them.  John 
did  all  of  this  without  question,  Erma  having 
so  often  praised  Mr.  Lanier  and  having  led 
him  to  believe  that  he  would  be  largely  in- 
strumental in  saving  him.  How  little  did  she 
dream  of  the  way  in  which  it  was  to  be  done. 
Lanier  now  goes  back  to  the  drunken  jailer  and 
watchman,  takes  his  seat  as  though  he  had 
never  moved  and  finally  arouses  them  from  their 
slumber,  joking  them  about  being  able  to  stand 
only  a  little  drinking.  After  awhile  he  sig- 
nifies his  intention  of  leaving.  John  Wysong*, 
acting  as  drunken  Christian  had  acted  on 
coming  in,  sat  in  the  jail  corridor  waiting  for 
Lanier.  The  jailer,  watchman  and  Lanier 
walked  down  the  corrider,  glancing  into  Wy- 
song's  cell  as  they  passed.  The  jail  door  was 
opened  and  Lanier  and  John  Wysong  walked 
forth,  leaving  Christian  in  the  cell  of  the 
doomed  to  die.  The  death  watchman  drowsily 
took  his  seat  by  the  side  of  the  cell  in  which 
Horace  Christian  was  sleeping  his  last  sleep  on 
earth. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

THE   HANGING. 

On  the  night  preceding-  the  day  set  for  John 
Wysong's  execution.  Erma  did  not  retire  to 
rest.  She  paced  to  -  and  -  fro,  wringing-  her 
hands  in  despair.  She  accused  herself  of  hav- 
ing- needlessly  murdered  her  own  brother,  of 
having-  cast  him  into  the  midst  of  ravenous 
beasts,  destitute  of  conscience  and  of  feeling. 
She  felt  that  Lanier  had  treated  her  shame- 
fully to  hold  out  to  her  a  ray  of  hope,  only  to 
snatch  it  away  and  make  the  darkness  all  the 
more  dark.  She  had  not  seen  him  nor  heard 
from  him  since  the  day  he  made  her  such  a 
faithful  promise  at  Mrs.  Turner's  residence, 
whither  she  had  gone  concerning-  Margaret. 
This  broug-ht  Marg-aret  to  her  mind.  She  ac- 
cused herself  of  being  responsible  for  that  poor 
child's  ruin,  in  that  she  had  allowed  herself  to 
be  drawn  into  those  social  fetes  in  the  hope  of 
saving  her  brother.  Instead  of  saving  him,  she 
had  lost  him,  and  destroyed  that  girl  as  well,  she 
thought.  As  the  night  wore  on,  her  agony  be- 
came more  and  more  intense. 

Despair  !  despair  !  despair  !  Night  of  the 
soul.  At  the  bottom  of  the  pit  of  sorrow,  mil- 

(160) 


OVERSHADOWED.  161 

lions  and  millions,  deep,  Erma  crawled  about, 
bitten  by  vipers  put  there,  eyeless,  to  bite  all 
the  children  of  men  whom  God,  for  any  cause, 
sends  to  them.  Upward  from  the  bottom  of 
this  pit  Erma  lifted  her  eyes,  but  the  darkness 
was  so  intense  that  even  nig-ht  would  have  been 
swallowed  up  and  lost  therein.  Yes,  though  in 
her  room,  Erma  was  nevertheless  in  this  pit. 

Eventually,  and  without  apparent  cause,  a 
calm  stole  over  Erma,  her  burden  rolled  away. 
As  to  why  this  was  the  case,  she  could  not  tell 
and  did  not  know.  All  that  she  knew  was, 
the  burden  had  gone,  and  a  calm  had  settled 
down  upon  her  soul.  She  opened  her  front 
door  and  let  the  night  air  sweep  down  and 
kiss  her  fevered  brow. 

The  moon,  one-quarter  full,  was  now  half- 
way between  the  zenith  and  the  horizon.  The 
morning  star  was  near  at  hand,  evidently  en- 
deavoring* to  outshine  its  queen.  The  moon, 
not  fearful  of  her  throne,  shone  on  in  unpro- 
voked beauty,  and  the  stars  were  watching-  the 
contest,  forgetful  of  the  fact  that  the  sun  was 
soon  to  come  forth.  At  length  the  sun  burst 
upon  the  scene  ;  the  unfinished  battle  was  de- 
ferred until  the  coming1  night,  as  more  tragic 
scenes  were  to  be  enacted. 

If  you  wish,  gentle  reader,  you  may   stay   in 

Erma's  company  on  the  day  of   the   execution, 
11 


162  OVERSHADOWED. 

but  we  prefer  to  hasten  away.  Early  in  the 
morning,  the  newspaper  reporters  gathered  at 
the  jail  in  great  numbers.  They  were  allowed 
inside,  and  stationed  themselves  where  they 
could  see  through  the  bars  of  John  Wysong's 
cell.  At  length  Horace  Christian  awoke  from 
his  drunken  stupor,  and  gazed  blankly  around 
him.  At  first  he  did  not  know  what  to  make 
of  his  surroundings.  Glancing  at  his  hands, 
he  noticed  that  they  were  black.  Then  it  all 
came  to  him,  how  that  he  was  playing  "darky" 
on  the  night  previous.  In  all  likelihood  he 
had  gotten  into  a  drunken  brawl,  and  had  been 
arrested,  he  thought.  He  decided  to  play 
"darky"  all  the  way  through.  He  looked 
through  the  bars  and  saw  the  group  of  report- 
ers gathered  there,  but  he  did  not  know  how 
to  account  for  their  presence.  Happening  to 
rub  his  hand  over  his  head,  it  came  in  contact 
with  hair,  and  he  remembered  distinctly  of 
having  cut  his  off.  He  now  felt  that  Lanier  had 
put  that  hair  on  his  head  while  he  was  drunk,  as 
a  joke,  and  having  escaped  himself,  had  sent 
the  reporters  down  in  order  to  play  a  prank  of 
some  sort  on  him.  He  decided  that  nothing 
should  induce  him  to  betray  his  identity,  pre- 
ferring to  take  a  somewhat  severe  penalty  first. 
The  joke  of  sending  the  reporters  was  not  ex- 
actly to  his  liking,  but  he  was  in  it,  and 


OVERSHADOWED.  163 

would  stick.  He  chuckled  to  himself  as  he 
thought  of  the  antics  he  was  going  to  play, 
and  the  witty  sayings  that  he  would  throw 
out  in  the  police  court  at  his  trial  that 
morning. 

"  Have  you  any  message  to  give  to  the  world 
through  our  paper  ?  "  asked  a  reporter. 

"Yes,  tell  'em  dat  you  saw  me,  but  you  did- 
unt  see  me  saw." 

"Can  you  talk  with  such  levity  on  an  occa- 
sion like  this  ?  "  asked  another. 

*'  Boss,  I  don't  know  nuthin'  'bout  yer  levity. 
But  I  knows  erbout  dese  erkasions  mos'  much. 
De  police  court  air  my  headquarters." 

Breakfast  was  brought  in,  and  it  was  such  a 
splendid  repast  that  Christian  now  knew  that 
Lanier  was  playing  him  a  joke.  The  jailer 
•pro  tern.,  acting  in  the  place  of  the  real  jailer, 
gona  to  his  mother,  brought  in  a  new  suit  of 
clothes.  Knowing  that  ordinary  prisoners 
were  not  treated  thus,  Christian  feared  that 
his  identity  had  been  disclosed,  and  that  they 
were  treating  him  with  such  marked  courtesy 
on  account  of  his  distinction.  One  thing  puz- 
zled him.  He  could  not  tell  where  he  got  that 
suit  which  he  had  just  pulled  off  to  put  on  the 
new  one  brought  by  the  jailer.  After  a  while  he 
was  handcuffed  and  marched  out  of  the  jail,  the 
reading  of  the  death  warrant  having  been  dis- 


164  OVERSHADOWED. 

pensed  with.  Here  he  met  a  throng-,  numbering 
well  up  in  the  thousands.  He  begfan  to  curse 
Lanier  inwardly,  thinking1  he  had  put  an  ac- 
count of  the  episode  in  the  papers,  and  that,  as 
a  consequence,  all  Richmond  was  out  to  see  the 
Hon.  Horace  Christian.  He  bit  his  lip  and  in- 
wardly defied  any  man  to  make  him  acknowl- 
edge that  he  was  white.  He  would  defy  Lanier 
himself.  They  started  on  their  march,  and 
when  they  got  to  the  corner  where,  turning  one 
way,  they  could  go  to  the  Police  Court,  much 
to  Christian's  surprise,  they  turned  in  an  op- 
posite direction,  the  crowd  following  them. 

Christian  said,  "  Say,  boss,  you  air  gwine  to 
de  police  coat  by  a  roundabout  way."  The 
jailer  looked  at  him  contemptuously.  They 
soon  came  in  sight  of  an  open  field,  in  the 
center  of  which  there  was  erected  a  large  gal- 
lows. People  stood  about  it  on  every  side  as 
far  out  as  the  eye  could  reach.  A  clearing  had 
been  kept  open  so  that  the  jailer  and  his  ward 
might  go  through  to  the  gallows  uninterrupted. 
Christian  now  felt  an  uneasy  sensation  in  his 
bosom,  that  mysterious  monitor  that  wafts  to 
our  ears  the  notes  of  the  death  knell  even  be- 
fore they  are  struck.  Christian  walked  in  the 
direction  of  the  gallows  hesitatingly. 

"Come  along,  John,  come  along.  You  must 
die  game,  you  know,"  said  the  jailer,  urging 
him  along. 


OVERSHADOWED.  165 

"Hold  on,  jailer,"  said  Christian;  "what 
does  this  mean  ?  " 

"  There  is  where  you  are  going*  to  be  hanged, 
John.  Cheer  up.  Don't  be  uneasy.  Die 
g-ame." 

"  Hanged  !  hanged  !  what  in  the  name  of  God 
are  you  going  to  hang  me  for  ?  Do  you  hang  a 
fellow  for  a  little  midnight  fun?  "  asked  Chris- 
tian, thoroughly  aroused  and  terrified. 

"John,  that  is  why  you  are  going  to  be 
hanged.  You  looked  upon  murder  as  a  matter 
of  fun." 

The  picture  of  the  Negro  tramp  whose  mur- 
der he  had  caused  for  political  purposes, 
crowded  before  his  gaze.  He  shook  trem- 
blingly and  began  to  stagger.  "Say,"  he 
gasped,  "  who  told  on  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  told  on  yourself,  John." 

"  I  was  a  blamed  fool  for  telling  it.  I  must 
have  been  drunk.  But  say,"  he  continued, 
"  are  they  going  to  mob  a  white  man  for  kill- 
ing a  nigger  tramp?  " 

"  You  mean,  are  they  going  to  mob  a  nigger 
tramp  for  killing  a  white  man." 

"  I  am  no  Negro;  I  am  a  white  man"  ex- 
claimed Christian. 

"  That's  enough.  Come  on."  They  were 
now  at  the  foot  of  the  gallows,  and  Christian 
was  the  very  embodiment  of  abject  terror.  He 


166  OVERSHADOWED. 

attempted  to  cling  to  the  railing"  on  the  steps 
leading-  up  to  the  platform  of  the  gallows.  He 
was  whining  piteously,  saying,  "I  am  a  white 
man,  I  killed  a  nigger  ;  I  am  a  white  man,  I 
killed  a  nigger." 

His  complete  breakdown  filled  the  people 
with  disgust,  and  they  howled  in  derision. 

"  It  took  a  cowardly  wretch  to  commit  a 
crime  like  his,"  said  a  member  of  the  throng. 
The  trembling  man  was  hurried  to  the  trap- 
door, the  noose  was  adjusted,  the  black  cap 
put  on,  the  trap  sprung,  all  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, the  victim  kicking,  scratching,  clawing, 
the  little  that  he  could,  and  bellowing,  "I 
killed  a  nigger  !  I  killed  a  nigger  !  "  As  his 
body  shot  down,  his  last  words  were  "O  God, 

I  killed  a ."  The  sentence  was  finished  in 

the  other  world.  A  few  convulsive  jerks,  and 
the  murderer  of  an  innocent  fellow  being  and 
the  despoiler  of  virtue  had  gone  to  his  reward. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

i/ 

WORSE  THAN  DEATH. 

The  astounding-  fact  brought  to  light  in  our 
foregoing  chapter,  the  successful  substitution 
of  Horace  Christian,  a  white  man,  for  a  Negro, 
John  Wysong,  would  not,  perhaps,  have  been 
so  easy  of  accomplishment,  if  its  sole  reli- 
ance had  been  the  likeness  which  Lanier  had 
created  and  the  circumstances  already  set  forth. 
There  were  other  factors  that  contributed  to 
the  success  of  the  scheme,  which  factors  we 
shall  now  mention  in  order  that  so  remarkable 
an  occurrence  may  be  the  more  fully  under- 
stood. 

As  a  result  of  the  Civil  war,  four  million  Ne- 
groes who  had  not  been  permitted  individual 
self-management  or  family  management,  who 
had  been  rigorously  prevented  from  develop- 
ing and  using  collective  wisdom — four  mil- 
lion illiterate  Negroes  of  this  description  were 
practically  given  control  of  State  Govern- 
ments that  called  for  a  high  degree  of  self-mas- 
tery on  the  part  of  the  units  of  the  governing 
force  ;  that  demanded  ability  to  legislate  in  a 
manner  that  could  command  the  respect  of  the 

(167) 


168  OVERSHADOWED. 

collective  wisdom  of  an  antagonistic  group,  rich 
in  examples  of  exalted  statesmanship. 

The  outcome  of  the  situation  was  a  wedding* 
between  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Charles  Dar- 
win, the  truism  of  the  household  thus  formed 
being-,  **  All  men  are  created  equal,  but  the  fit- 
test survive. "  In  order  to  dislodg-e  their  former 
field  hands  who  were  sitting*  in  the  seats 
formerly  occupied  by  Thomas  Jefferson  and 
John  C.  Calhoun,  the  more  scrupulous  among- 
the  whites  were  allowed  to  take  back  seats,  while 
the  less  scrupulous  resorted  to  violence  and 
fraud  to  restore  the  government  to  the  hands 
of  its  former  rulers,  a  result  well  pleasing*  to 
all  of  them. 

It  can  readily  be  seen  that  conditions  were 
propitious  for  the  exercise  of  talents  not  any- 
where, in  normal  times,  considered  as  desirable. 
With  the  hig-hest  needs  of  a  communit}^  appar- 
ently calling-  for  lawlessness  and  knavery  ;  with 
virtue  stating  that  she  would  be  forever  de- 
stroyed without  the  protection  of  vice — under 
such  conditions,  in  some  sections  of  the  South, 
the  reins  of  government  fell  into  the  hands  of 
evil  men  and  the  taint  of  party  politics  affected 
everything"  that  these  men  touched. 

In  this  period  of  transition  even  the  judiciary 
was  sometimes  honeycombed  with  politics. 
The  same  blig-hting-  shadow  cast  itself  over  the 


OVERSHADOWED.  169 

prison  system  where  appointees  were  selected 
with  regard  to  their  "  political  pull."  This 
state  of  affairs  will  account  to  }TOU  for  the  lati- 
tude allowed  to  the  successful  politician,  Lanier, 
a  product  of  his  times,  in  his  dealing-  with  the 
condemned  Negro,  John  Wysong. 

Another  factor  in  rendering  the  substitution 
so  successful,  was  as  follows  :  Under  the  sys- 
tem of  slavery,  the  whites,  being  interested  in 
the  Negroes  from  many  points  of  view,  habitu- 
ally scrutinized  their  features  and  were  adepts 
at  distinguishing  one  Negro  from  another. 
When  freedom  came,  the  necessity  for  close  in- 
spection passed  away.  The  altered  demeanor 
of  the  former  slave  begat  a  species  of  contempt 
in  the  former  master.  Thus,  while  self-in- 
terest under  slavery  led  the  white  man's  eyes  to 
the  Negro,  contempt  for  what  he  regarded  as 
insolence  led  his  eyes  away  from  him  after  the 
coming  of  freedom.  The  white  woman  who 
coined  the  phrase,  "All  niggers  look  alike  to 
me,"  is. but  an  illustration  of  what  is  here  set 
forth. 

Inasmuch  as  that  the  white  people  generally 
were  indisposed  to  give  close  scrutiny  to  Negro 
countenances  and  were  consequently  deficient 
in  ability  to  readily  distinguish  them,  Lanier, 
knowing  these  things,  felt  confident  of  carrying 
out  his  plan  of  substituting  Horace  Christian 
for  John  Wysong. 


170  OVERSHADOWED. 

There  was  one  other  thing-  that  he  had  to 
fear,  but  the  situation  contained  a  remedy  for 
that,  he  thought.  He  realized  that  Christian 
upon  finding1  himself  on  the  way  to  the  gal- 
lows,  would  seek  to  inspire  in  the  minds  of  the 
jail  officials,  a  doubt  as  to  his  being-  the  proper 
victim.  But  L/anier  knew  that  the  populace 
would  reg-ard  it  as  a  mere  ruse  to  gain  time  and 
would  take  the  prisoner  and  hang  him  forth- 
with, should  the  officials  hesitate. 

Due  to  the  foreg-oing-  circumstances,  L/anier's 
jail  delivery  was  eminently  successful.  He  had 
at  last  redeemed  his  pledge  to  Erma  and  had 
executed  his  vow  to  mete  out  punishment  to 
Horace  Christian.  But  his  work  was  not  yet 
complete.  He  had  to  make  some  disposition  of 
John  Wysong*.  His  first  step  was  to  remove 
John  as  far  as  possible  from  the  scene  of  the 
crime,  and,  in  keeping-  with  this  desire,  he  and 
John  Wysong-  took  a  train  for  Florida  the 
same  night  of  the  jail  delivery. 

Arriving  at  a  city  in  the  central  part  of  Flor- 
ida, Lanier  repaired  to  a  hotel,  carrying  John 
Wysong  with  him  as  a  servant,  under  an  as- 
sumed name.  He  went  to  the  room  assigned  to 
him,  accompanied  by  John.  Lanier  lighted 
a  cigar,  took  a  seat  near  a  table  on  which  he 
rested  his  crossed  legs.  This  was  a  favorite 
attitude  with  him  when  endeavoring  to  solve  a 
peculiarly  knotty  problem. 


OVERSHADOWED.  171 

"I  have  a  miniature  race  problem  on  my 
hands,"  was  his  first  reflection.  "  What  must 
be  done  with  John  Wysong-?"  With  that  as  a 
starting*  point  his  thoughts  ran  as  follows  : 

44  John  Wysong  has  taken  human  life.  There 
was  no  personal  ill  will  between  him  and  his 
victim.  He  regarded  the  Master  Workman  as 
the  embodiment  of  a  principle  that  narrowed 
his  horizon  ;  that  turned  his  face  from  the  hope 
of  prosperity  in  the  direction  of  starvation.  His 
attack  was  directed  at  the  principle  and  not  the 
human  being-  embodying-  it.  This  much  in  ex- 
planation of  his  crime.  His  error  lay  in  appro- 
priating- to  his  own  use  the  very  principle  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  believed  himself  to  be 
suffering-.  On  account  of  the  color  of  his  skin 
and  the  attendant  delimitations  begotten  there- 
by, he  felt  that  other  avenues  for  redress  were 
closed  and  that  he  must  have  recourse  to  revo- 
lution. 

"In  view  of  all  the  circumstances  surround- 
ing the  murder,  I  feel  called  upon  to  do  full  jus- 
tice to  society  and  yet  exercise  clemency  in  the 
case  of  this  youth,  holding  in  especial  view  the 
fact  that  he  regarded  the  act  as  committed  in 
self-defense." 

44  John,"  said  Lanier  to  the  former,  who  was 
sitting  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  44 1  have  saved 
you  from  the  gallows,  yet  you  must  suffer  in  a 


172  OVERSHADOWED. 

manner  commensurate  with  your  offense.  The 
penalty  which  I  am  to  affix  must  affect  your 
whole  life.  The  murderous  instinct  is  not  a 
part  of  your  being-.  It  is  merely  an  accretion 
that  has  come  to  you  because  of  your  environ- 
ments which  you  were  too  feeble  to  alter.  You 
are  not  fit  for  the  rigfors  of  civilized  life  in 
America.  The  pace  is  too  swift  for  you.  I  de- 
cree your  banishment  from  civilization  and  re- 
quire you  to  spend  the  remainder  of  your  days 
in  Africa,  a  punishment  not  lacking-  in  severity 
to  one  who  has  had  a  taste  of  civilization.  To 
Africa  you  shall  g*o." 

The  look  of  terror  that  overspread  John's 
face  at  this  announcement  could  not  have  been 
greater  had  Lanier  decreed  that  he  was  to  be 
burned  alive  at  the  stake  within  the  next  five 
minutes.  His  ag-ony  was  so  apparent  and  in- 
tense that  Lanier  was  touched. 

He  said,  "John,  you  do  not  seem  to  like  my 
verdict." 

"I  shall  do  what  you  say,"  said  John,  in 
tones  of  utter  despair,  dropping-  his  head  upon 
his  chest/' 

44  Strang-e  !  strang-e  !  strang-e  !  I  thoug-ht 
that  the  one  point  of  cheer  in  my  verdict  would 
be  love  of  his  fatherland,"  mused  Lanier,  who 
had  now  arisen  and  was  g-azing-  upon  the  pic- 
ture of  woe  before  him.  "  But  love  of  the  fath- 


OVERSHADOWED.  173 

erland  is  all  gone,  all  gone.  His  love  is  for  a 
soil  where  he  must  run  an  unequal  race  and 
where  divers  persecutions  and  injustices  must 
necessarily  befall  him,"  thought  L/anier,  as  he 
continued  to  gaze  upon  John.  Aloud  he  said, 
"Well,  John,  what  would  be  more  to  vour  lik- 
ing?" 

A  ray  of  hope  shot  through  John's  darkened 
soul,  and  with  a  face  lighted  up  with  joyous  ex- 
pectancy, he  cried,  "Arrange  it  so  that  I  can 
go  to  the  penitentiary  for  a  long,  long  term  of 
years.  I  do  not  wish  to  leave  this  country.  I 
must  not  put  an  ocean  between  me  and 
Erma." 

"  Ah,"  replied  Lanier,  "  but  you  must  never 
see  Erma  again.  She  does  not  know  of  your 
escape  from  the  gallows  nor  the  method  thereof, 
and  because  of  this  latter  fact  you  and  I  both 
had  better  beware.  The  dear  girl  is  so  deuced 
conscientious." 

"  Just  let  me  stay  in  this  country  !  Send  me 
to  prison  for  as  long  a  term  of  years  as  you 
will." 

"  How  can  you  manage  that?  "  inquired  La- 
nier. 

"  Manage  it  !  "  exclaimed  John,  "  That's  so, 
you  have  never  been  a  Negro.  Why,  it  is  the 
easiest  thing  imaginable  for  a  Negro  to  get  into 
the  penitentiary." 


174  OVERSHADOWED. 

"Well,  John,  you  shall  have  your  way. 
Change  your  name.  Never  allude  to  your  past 
life.  When  and  how  shall  you  start?  " 

"  To-night,"  was  John's  prompt  reply. 

That  night  John  was  caught  by  a  policeman 
while  in  a  feigned  attempt  at  burglarizing  a 
store.  He  was  arraigned,  duly  tried,  convicted, 
and  sentenced  to  ten  years  in  the  Florida  pen- 
itentiary. He  was  taken  to  the  city  not  far 
away,  where  there  was  what  is  known  as  the 
"Stockade."  Here  he  found  three  hundred 
Negro  men,  women,  boys  and  girls  chained  to- 
gether, with  an  iron  ring  around  each  neck  and 
a  pick  around  the  ankle  of  each.  John  was 
added  to  the  gang.  They  were  awaiting  the 
convict  "  auction  day." 

The  day  came  and  capitalists  from  all  over 
the  South  poured  into  the  city  to  bid  on  the  lot 
of  convicts.  A  syndicate  that  operated  turpen- 
tine forests  in  Florida  was  the  highest  bidder 
and  the  convicts  were  turned  over  to  it.  They, 
were  marched  down  to  the  train  and  crowded 
into  cattle  cars  and  borne  into  the  swamps  of 
the  turpentine  establishments.  They  were  put 
in  charge  of  white  bosses,  who  had  been  se- 
lected because  of  their  known  cruelty,  on  the 
hypothesis  that  it  took  such  characters  to  keep 
in  subjection  a  colony  of  Negro  convicts. 

Necessarily  a  series  of   hardships   followed, 
but  amid  all,  John  was  happy,  for  he  was  not  in 


OVERSHADOWED.  175 

Africa  and  was  in  the  same  land  with  Erma. 
Notwithstanding  Lanier's  prohibition,  he  in- 
tended seeing*  his  sister  again,  feeling  assured 
that  it  could  not  possibly  result  in  any  harm  to 
any  of  the  parties  concerned.  Sustained  by 
this  hope  he  witnessed  and  endured  all  manner 
of  hardships.  He  saw  women  of  his  race  forced 
to  labor  side  by  side  with  men  hardened  in 
crime.  With  these  same  hardened  criminals  the 
small  boys  and  girls,  present  in  the  convict 
camp  for  their  first  offenses,  had  to  labor.  The 
Negro  women  were  sometimes  the  victims  of 
outrages  committed  by  their  white  bosses.  Il- 
legitimate offsprings  born  in  prison  were  taken 
possession  of  and  doomed  to  perpetual  slavery. 
Men,  women  and  children  slept  together  like 
a  herd  of  cattle,  as  many  as  sixty  being  crowded 
into  a  room  eighteen  feet  square,  with  a  ceiling 
seven  feet  high,  there  being  no  ventilation  what- 
ever. After  hard  days'  work  the  convicts  had 
to  cook  their  own  food,  fat  bacon  and  corn 
bread,  on  small  fires  made  on  the  ground.  A 
downpour  of  rain  would  not  induce  the  bosses 
to  allow  the  convicts  to  quit  work  and  seek 
shelter.  Slight  offenses  were  punished  by  bru- 
tal whippings ;  and  one  aged  Negro,  in  the 
prison  for  stealing  food  for  a  starving  family, 
was  beaten  until  he  died  ;  beaten  because  he  ex- 
pressed an  opinion  as  to  the  decency  of  the  con- 


176  OVERSHADOWED. 

duct  of  one  white  boss  toward  a  Negro  woman, 
his  niece,  in  the  penitentiary  as  accessory  to  his 
crime. 

Whenever  showers  of  rain  drenched  the  entire 
lot  of  convicts  they  did  not  have  changing  gar- 
ments, but  had  to  wear  and  even  sleep  in  their 
wet  clothing  until  they  dried  upon  them. 
When  the  few  small  houses  were  filled  to  their 
utmost  capacities,  a  tent  was  spread  and  all 
fresh  comers  were  assigned  to  sleep  beneath 
this  on  the  bare  ground.  If  some  convict,  more 
adroit  than  his  fellows,  made  his  escape,  the 
bloodhounds  would  soon  be  on  his  trail  and  ere 
long  would  have  their  fangs  buried  in  his  quiv- 
ering flesh. 

Pilth  abounded  on  every  hand,  vermin  covered 
everything  in  the  convict  quarters,  and  sanita- 
tion was  a  thing  unheard  of.  Disease  walked 
boldly  into  their  midst  and  bade  Death  mow  down 
with  his  scythe  twenty  out  of  each  hundred, 
this  being  the  proportion  of  those  who  died.* 
Consumption  took  up  its  abode  in  John's  bosom 
and  began  to  eat  away  his  life.  John  dwelt 
amid  all  these  sickening,  these  blood-curdling 

% 

*  It  would  be  nothing-  short  of  a  crime  against  human- 
ity for  an  author  to  allow  his  imagination  to  create  such 
a  picture  as  is  here  drawn,  unless  the  portraiture  was  true 
to  life.  In  simple  justice  to  himself,  the  writer  cites  as 
his  authority  the  July,  1899,  issue  of  "  The  Missionary 
Review  of  the  World." 


OVERSHADOWED.  177 

horrors  with  death  gnawing  at  his  own  vitals. 
But  through  it  all,  a  smile  of  joy  was  ever  upon 
his  face,  hope  was  alive  within  his  bosom.  The 
thought  that  he  might  one  day  see  Erma  again 
was  his  sun  that  beat  back  the  shades  of  eternal 
night  that  were  seeking  to  engulf  the  vital 
spark  left  within  him.  How  incomplete  would 
have  been  the  soul  of  man,  how  powerless  to 
cope  with  this  mysterious  thing  which  we  call 
life,  were  it  not  that  its  soil  is  never  impervious 
to  the  growth  of  that  fragrant  flower,  which 
sends  pleasing  odors  even  into  the  nostrils  of 
the  dying,  Hope !  immortal  Hope  ! 


12 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

FUIvL   OF   JOY. 

Astral's  school  life  is  now  over,  and  he  is 
homeward  bound.  During-  all  the  years  of  his 
separation  from  Erma  he  has  stifled  with  great 
effort  the  cry  of  his  heart  to  make  a  bold  dec- 
laration of  love  to  her.  But  now  the  courage 
of  desperation  seizes  him  and  he  has  made  a 
solemn  vow  to  declare  his  passion  immediately 
upon  his  arrival  at  Richmond.  The  train  that 
bore  him  on  to  Richmond,  Astral  was  ready  to 
swear  before  a  notary  public,  was  no  faster 
than  the  slimy  animal  known  as  the  snail.  He 
grew  to  hate  the  brakeman  who  persisted  in 
calling'  the  name  of  every  station  save  Rich- 
mond. Having-  once  resolved  upon  making-  his 
declaration  and  ascertaining-  his  fate,  any  per- 
son that  would  have  sug-g-ested  that  patience 
ever  possessed  a  virtue  would  have  been  in 
dang-er  of  incarceration  in  the  insane  asylum,  if 
Astral's  ardent  wish  could  have  accomplished 
that  result.  The  train  reaches  Richmond  at 
last.  As  soon  as  properly  attired,  he  proceeds 
toward  Erma's  home,  having-  given  her  due  no- 
tice of  his  coming-  to  see  her. 
(178) 


OVERSHADOWED.  179 

Since  the  day  of  the  intended  hanging*  of  her 
brother  John,  Erma  has  lived  continuously  at 
her  own  little  home.  Aunt  Mollie  Marston, 
who  has  now  lost  her  husband,  dwells  there 
with  her,  and  Erma  has  taken  the  place  in  her 
heart  left  vacant  by  Margaret's  dropping*  out. 
Erma  has  told  Mrs.  Marston  the  secret  of  her 
love  and  informed  her  of  Astral's  intended 
visit.  The  dear  old  soul  has  done  her  best  at 
dressing-  Erma  for  this  occasion,  and  has  re- 
tired to  a  back  room  to  pray,  while  Erma  sits 
in  her  cosy  little  parlor  to  receive  Astral. 
For  a  while  she  indulges  in  a  reverie,  her  mind 
going-  back  over  her  past  life.  The  thoughts 
are  too  sombre,  however,  and  she  dismisses 
them. 

The  twilight  of  a  mild  summer  eve  creeps 
over  the  earth.  The  evening  star  peeps  above 
the  horizon,  in  order  to  see  and  report  as  to 
whether  the  sky  is  clear  of  the  sun,  so  that  the 
timid  moon  may  rise.  Erma's  parlor  window, 
commanding  a  view  of  the  street  on  which  her 
home  fronts,  is  thrown  open,  and  Erma  is  sta- 
tioned there  ;  and,  with  her  beautiful  hands,  is 
holding  apart  the  thick-clustered  vines,  so  that 
she  may  catch  a  glimpse  of  Astral  when  he 
reaches  her  gate.  Erma  is  clad  in  black,  which 
is  only  relieved  by  a  lovely  white  ribbon  about 
her  neck,  vying  with  her  face  as  to  beauty, 


180  OVERSHADOWED. 

but  doing1  nothing1  more  than  enhancing"  the 
beauty  of  the  face,  by  affording-  it  this  oppor- 
tunity to  triumph  over  such  a  lovely  foe. 
Her  hair  was  rolled  in  coils,  and  sat  in  gran- 
deur on  the  rear  of  her  head.  A  portion  of  her 
hair,  cut  short,  was  allowed  to  bend  forward, 
as  if  threatening-  to  hide  her  pretty,  rounded 
forehead.  This  hair,  standing-  g-uard  over  her 
bewitching-  eyebrows,  was  parted  on  one  side, 
and  added  delig-htfully  to  the  charm  of  Erma's 
face.  Sitting-  sideways  to  the  window,  bend- 
ing- slig-htly  forward,  her  small  foot,  incased  in 
a  low-quarter  shoe,  protruded  slightly  from 
her  black  silk  skirt. 

It  was  thus  that  Erma  sat  awaiting-  the  com- 
ing- of  the  man  she  loved  so  dearly,  and  to  be 
worthy  of  whom  she  had  suffered  so  much  and 
toiled  so  hard.  A  slig-ht  cry  escaped  her  lips. 
Astral  is  at  her  g-ate.  He  is  chang-ed,  and  for 
the  better.  His  handsome  face,  a  shade  darker 
than  that  of  Erma,  has  a  splendid  set  of  side- 
burns, something  that  was  not  the  case  when 
he  went  away.  On  his  upper  lip  there  rests 
a  mustache  that  comports  well  with  a  set  of 
thick  eyebrows.  The  form  is  tall  and  manly. 
He  is  clad  in  a  suit  of  beautiful  black,  and 
a  brown  felt  hat  rests  on  his  full,  larg-e 
head.  His  look  is  more  grave  than  when 
we  last  saw  him.  Astral's  heart  is  beat- 


OVERSHADOWED.  181 

ing-  a  wild,  tumultuous  wedding-  march,  and 
he  cannot  calm  it,  try  as  much  as  he  may.  He 
is  now  about  to  meet  Erma,  and  thoug-h  he  has 
been  planning-  his  little  speech  for  the  occasion 
for  years,  it  is  now  all  g-one  from  him,  and  he 
is  trembling-  with  excitement  and  abusing"  his 
mind  for  going  to  pieces  just  at  the  wrong 
time.  Erma  has  arisen  from  her  seat,  and'is 
walking  about  her  room  nervously,  wondering 
how  Astral  is  going  to  meet  her,  and  what  she 
is  going  to  do  and  say. 

How  a  painter  would  have  gloried  to  have 
caught  sight  of  this  bundle  of  beautiful  confu- 
sion !  Astral  rapped  on  the  door,  and  his  heart 
stood  still.  Erma  opened  it  and  stepped  back 
to  let  Astral  in.  He  looked  at  Erma  and  his 
heart  gave  a  bound,  as  though  to  leave  his 
body.  Erma  cast  at  Astral  a  timid  glance 
which  comprehended  his  entire  frame  and  being 
in  a  flash,  and  her  soul  was  satisfied  with  the 
verdict.  Turning-  her  head  away  somewhat 
bashfully,  she  said,  "Walk  in,  Mr.  Herndon." 
Astral  followed  Erma  into  the  parlor.  Erma 
had  walked  to  the  further  side  of  the  room, 
and  was  now  turned  with  her  face  toward  As- 
tral. Poor  girl  !  Her  soul  was  in  her  eyes. 
She  knew  it,  but  could  not  avoid  it.  She  tried 
to  keep  from  looking  at  Astral,  but  she  could 
not  do  that,  either.  Instead  of  sitting  down, 


182  OVERSHADOWED. 

Astral  started  over  toward  Erma.  With  every 
step  that  he  took  his  heart  grew  bolder,  until 
when  he  came  to  the  spot  where  she  was,  he 
threw  an  arm  around  her  waist,  strained  her 
to  his  heaving  bosom,  and  bent  down  to  press 
a  kiss  upon  her  willing-  lips,  and  the  years  of 
waiting-  were  over. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

OPPOSING   THE    WEDDING. 

News  of  the  betrothal  of  Astral  and  Erma 
was  not  slow  in  finding"  its  way  through  the 
city,  as  society  is  well  supplied  with  couriers 
that  delight  to  inform  mankind  whenever  two 
individuals  conclude  to  form  a  home,  the  unit  of 
civilisation.  On  a  matter  of  such  fundamental 
importance,  society  reserves  the  right  to  freely 
express  its  opinion. 

The  comment  on  the  proposed  marriage  was 
quite  varied  in  character.  As  to  the  worthi- 
ness of  the  two  contracting  parties  all  were 
agreed,  but  from  that  point  onward  there  was 
much  divergence  of  opinion.  Astral's  complex- 
ion was  not  as  light  as  that  of  Erma,  so  some 
were  of  the  opinion  that  she  was  making  a 
slight  mistake  on  that  score. 

Astral  was  criticised  by  some  on  the  score 
that  he  had  chosen  a  wife  of  mixed  blood  when 
there  were  so  many  girls  in  the  city  of  pure 
Negro  extraction.  Others  insisted  that  he  had 
acted  wisely,  on  the  theory  that  each  succeeding 
generation  should  be  as  far  removed  as  possible 
from  the  original  color  which  had  so  many  ills 

(183) 


184  OVERSHADOWED. 

chargeable  to  it.  Still  another  group  was 
found  that  bitterly  opposed  the  union  on  the 
ground  that  -class  distinctions  were  highly  es- 
sential to  the  welfare  of  the  race,  which  distinc- 
tions Astral's  course  was  calculated  to  oblit- 
erate, in  that  he,  who  was  to  earn  his  livelihood 
by  mental  exertion,  was  to  marry  a  girl  who 
had  deserted  that  pathway  and  resorted  to 
menial  labor. 

Opposed  to  these  were  those  who  agreed 
with  Burns  in  his  teachings,  to  the  effect  that 

"  Rank  is  but  the  guinea's  stamp; 
A  man's  the  gowd  for  a'  that." 

Thus  the  conflict  of  sentiment  raged,  eventu- 
ating in  no  action,  however,  save  in  the  case 
which  we  are  now  about  to  record. 

Ellen  Sanders,  true  to  her  conception  of  lady- 
ship, had  declined  all  employment  that  involved 
physical  labor.  Time  after  time  she  had  made  at- 
tempts to  be  elected  teacher  in  the  city  schools, 
but  some  one  else  of  the  great  number  of  ap- 
plicants had  always  secured  the  prize.  Re- 
peated failure  had  somewhat  dampened  her 
hope,  but  had  not  altered  her  determination  to 
44  cling  to  her  ladyship  to  the  last."  Of  late 
she  had  been  turning  her  attention  to  the  sub- 
ject of  marriage  as  a  possible  solution.  One  by 
one  the  professional  men  of  the  city  had  been 
favored  with  her  smiles,  but  all  to  no  avail  thus 


OVERSHADOWED.  185 

far,  though  her  smiles  had  grown  to  have  the 
appearance  of  artificiality  from  such  faithful 
and  constant  service.  There  was  one  last 
string"  to  her  bow,  upon  which  she  relied  to 
bring  her  success  ;  and  as  her  case  was  growing 
desperate,  she  had  decided  not  to  allow  mere 
formalities  to  stand  in  her  way. 

The  hope  that  had  survived,  had  Astral  for 
its  basis.  She  had  been  his  schoolmate,  had 
received  some  slight  attention  from  him  in 
those  days,  and  now  felt  that  the  friendship  of 
childhood  could  be  easily  transformed  into  love. 
She  had  not  known  of  Astral's  attachment  for 
Erma  and  consequently  apprehended  no  oppo- 
sition from  that  source.  Imagine  her  chagrin 
and  dismay  when  the  news  that  Astral  and 
Erma  were  to  wed  reached  her  ears.  The  first 
effect  was  to  rob  her  of  all  inclination  to  act,  but 
this  feeling  of  stupefaction  was  succeeded  by  a 
grim  determination  to  win  at  all  hazards.  Her 
first  move  was  to  bring  influences  to  bear  on 
Astral  to  dissuade  him  from  the  contemplated 
step.  In  the  city  there  were  a  number  of 
young  men  who  could  not  be  said  to  follow  any 
vocation,  who  were  without  visible  means  of 
support,  and  yet  dressed  well  and  lived  in  idle- 
ness. There  was  much  speculation  as  to  how 
they  were  maintained,  but  no  positive  evidence 
on  hand.  There  was  a  well-defined  suspicion  to 


186  OVERSHADOWED. 

the  effect  that  they  received  their  meals  through 
the  rear  windows  of  kitchens  where  Negro  girls 
were  in  service  to  white  people,  and  their 
clothes,  which  were  good  but  never  new,  were 
supposed  to  come  from  the  same  source.  As  to 
where  they  lodged,  it  would  perhaps  not  be  well 
to  state,  though  here  and  there  rumors  were 
afloat  to  the  effect  that  they  were  seen  jumping 
over  back  fences  into  alleyways  in  the  early 
hours  of  the  morning.  Though  these  social 
Melchizedeks  were  involved  in  much  mystery 
they  were  greatly  in  evidence  and  ready  for 
any  scheme  that  seemed  to  promise  any  money, 
provided  always  and  only  that  no  physical  ex- 
ertion was  involved. 

Such  a  personage  was  E.  Moses  Smith,  Esq., 
and  to  him  Ellen  Sanders  now  resorts.  He 
readily  accepts  the  money  which  Ellen  brings 
him  and  agrees  to  undertake  the  work  of  in- 
fluencing Astral  against  Erma.  On  divers  .oc- 
casions he  intrudes  himself  in  Astral's  com- 
pany, seeking  to  win  his  friendship. 

Astral  is  now  pleased  with  all  the  world  be- 
cause he  has  Erma's  love,  and  E.  Moses  Smith 
Esq.,  very  naturally  fell  into  the  mistake  of 
supposing  himself  deeper  in  his  graces  than  he 
really  was,  so  cordially  was  Astral  receiving 
him.  Eventually  he  concluded  that  he  was  far 
enough  advanced  in  Astral's  favor  to  begin  the 


OVERSHADOWED.  187 

task  assigned  him.  He  had  charge  of  an  office 
consisting-  of  two  rooms,  which  office  a  white 
lawyer,  then  on  a  tour  of  Europe,  had  commit- 
ted to  his  care.  To  this  office  he  invited  As- 
tral, with  a  view  to  approaching  him  on  the 
subject  of  his  contemplated  marriage. 

Ellen  Sanders  being  informed  of  the  plan 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  occupy  the  rear  room 
so  that  she  might  overhear  the  conversation  and 
know  how  to  gauge  her  hopes. 

At  the  appointed  hour  Astral  stepped  in  and 
was  received  in  a  most  effusive  manner  by  the 
young  man.  Ellen's  eye  was  to  the  keyhole 
and  her  heart  gave  a  bound  as  she  looked  upon 
Astral's  handsome  face  and  noble  form. 

"Mr.  Herndon,"  he  began  after  the  usual 
exchange  of  greetings,  "you  are  a  much  dis- 
cussed man  in  our  town." 

Astral  understood  the  reference  to  be  to  his 
approaching  marriage  and  smile'd  his  thanks. 

Ellen  saw  the  smile  and  grew  faint  ;  it  be- 
tokened so  much  happiness  in  the  heart  of  As- 
tral. "  Ah  me  !  "  she  sighed. 

The  young  man  resumed,  "  Never  in  years 
has  a  proposed  marriage  been  so  much  dis- 
cussed as  this  one." 

"The  people  do  me  a  signal  honor,  I  am 
sure,"  was  Astral's  reply. 


188  OVERSHADOWED. 

"  Yes,  but  not  in  the  way  that  you  suppose, 
Mr.  Herndon,"  was  his  response. 

"  The  comment  is  unfavorable  to  me,  then,  I 
presume,"  Astral  remarked. 

The  young1  man  felt  that  his  time  had  arrived 
so  he  reared  back  in  his  chair  and  closed  his 
eyes  preparatory  to  the  delivery  of  his  speech 
which  Ellen  had  helped  him  to  compose. 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Herndon,  the  comment  is  decid- 
edly against  you.  Society  confers  upon  all 
men  certain  blessings  otherwise  unattainable. 
What  would  any  man's  life  be  worth  without 
the  blessings  which  societ}*  confers  !  In  return 
for  these  blessings  society  establishes  certain 
laws  and  customs  which  all  are  expected  to 
obey." 

Here  he  slightly  opened  his  eyes  to  see  the 
effect  his  argument  was  having  on  Astral. 
Noting  nothing  decisive  he  closed  them  again. 

Ellen  murmured  to  herself,  "  Good !  Go 
on!" 

The  young  man  resumed,  "Some  of  its  re- 
quirements society  enacts  into  laws  and  compels 
obedience  thereto.  Others  are  left  to  the  in- 
fluence of  public  sentiment.  Every  true  mem- 
ber of  a  community,  I  hold,  is  in  duty  bound  to 
yield  to  every  demand  of  enlightened  public  sen- 
timent." 


OVERSHADOWED.  189 

A  scowl  now  appeared  on  Astral's  face  as  he 
perceived  the  drift  of  his  remarks,  but  the  lat- 
ters'  eyes  being*  closed,  he  did  not  see  it. 

The  young"  man  continues,  '*  Especially  is 
this  true  on  the  question  of  matrimony,  as  from 
the  home,  society  draws  material  for  its  con- 
struction. My  opinion  is  that  no  man  should 
enter  a  marriage  contract  over  the  vigorous 
protest  of  society." 

Astral  was  now  a  very  angry  man  and  none 
too  safe  to  deal  with. 

Ellen  saw  that  there  was  danger  ahead  and 
was  anxious  for  E.  Moses  Smith,  Esq.,  to  open 
his  e}res  so  that  he  might  take  note  of  the  gath- 
ering storm  and  seek  for  shelter  by  a  change  of 
course.  She  had  no  means  of  communicating" 
her  fears  without  discovering-  her  own  presence, 
so  the  young1  man  remained  unwarned. 

Continuing,  he  said,  "You,  Mr.  Herndon, 
are  a  very  worthy  man,  but  Erma  Wysong— 

"  Say  it,  you  cur  !  "  thundered  Astral  rising 
and  drawing  himself  to  his  full  height,  wrath- 
ful indignation  depicted  on  every  feature. 

The  astounded  E.  Moses  Smith,  Esq.,  opened 
wide  his  eyes  and  one  glance  at  Astral  explained 
the  situation,  whereupon  in  great  terror,  he  fled 
precipitately  to  the  room  in  the  rear,  Ellen 
having  opened  the  door  to  readily  receive  him. 


190  OVERSHADOWED. 

Having  locked  the  door,  he  thought  himself 
safe,  and  proceeded  to  conclude  his  remarks 
through  the  keyhole. 

"  Mr.  Herndon,  you  are  unduly  angry,  sir.  I 
was  not  going*  to  say  anything  derogatory  of 
Erma  Wysong,  further  than  that  she  had  been 
a  service  girl  and  as  a  consequence,  was  un- 
worthy of  so  grand  a  man  as  yourself." 

When  Astral  heard  the  word  unworthy  ap- 
plied to  Erma  he  proceeded  to  the  door  and 
with  one  kick  wres.ted  it  from  its  hinges.  The 
young  man,  wfo  had  seen  him  approaching, 
had  jumped  behind  Ellen,  with  a  view  to  keep- 
ing her  between  the  irate  Astral  and  himself. 
But  the  frightened  girl  tore  herself  from  his 
grasp  and  ran  through  the  aperture,  a  thick 
veil  concealing  her  identity.  When  Astral  en- 
ter-ed  the  room  in  quest  of  the  young  man  he 
found  society's  advocate  coiled  on  the  floor, 
making  oft  repeated  pleas  for  mercy,  inter- 
spersed with  cries  of  fire,  murder,  robber,  and 
such  other  words  as,  in  his  frenzy,  he  thought 
would  bring  others  to  the  scene.  Astral  looked 
down  upon  him  in  contempt  and  strode  out  of 
the  room,  leaving  him  unharmed. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ERMA  AND  AN  ASSASSIN. 

The  purpose  of  Ellen  Sanders  was  by  no 
means  altered  by  the  defeat  of  her  plans  ;  to 
the  contrary,  she  was  rendered  the  more  deter- 
mined. She  saw  that  there  was  no  prospect  of 
estranging  Astral  from  Erma;  in  fact,  no  pros- 
pect of  drawing  him  into  a  discussion  of  the 
subject.  She  decided  to  address  her  attention 
to  Erma.  Her  knowledge  of  Erma  led  her  to 
the  firm  conclusion  that  it  wras  needless  to  at- 
tempt the  use  of  argument  in  her  case.  Yet 
she  must  be  gotten  out  of  the  way,  was  Ellen's 
unalterable  determination.  Aside  from  the 
fact  that  she  desired  Astral  for  her  husband, 
she  possessed  no  love  for  Erma,  who  had  been 
an  object  of  contempt  ever  since  the  moment 
she  had  entered  service. 

Self-interest  and  hatred  are  two  powerful 
forces  when  operating  in  the  bosom  of  a 
woman  rankling  with  disappointment.  Ellen 
determined  upon  Erma's  murder.  When  Ellen 
was  a  very  young  child,  her  parents  had  as 
a  neighbor  a  widow  whose  name  was  Corella 
Ross,  the  mother  of  seven  children,  the  oldest 

(191) 


192  OVERSHADOWED. 

of  whom  was  called  Sam.  Mrs.  Ross  went 
about  doing*  housework  for  various  white  fam- 
iles  and  left  her  children  at  home  to  take  care 
of  themselves  as  best  they  might.  Sam,  being- 
the  oldest,  roamed  the  city  at  will,  returning 
in  time  to  be  on  hand  at  night  when  his  mother 
arrived,  contriving-  by  bits  of  candy  and  direful 
threatening-s  to  maintain  the  silence  of  his  little 
brothers  and  sisters  on  the  subject  of  his  mean- 
dering-s.  Thus  left  to  himself,  he  became  a 
youth  of  vicious  character.  But  he  was  ever 
fond  of  Ellen,  and  carried  his  affections  with  him 
in  undiminished  force  in  his  downward  drift. 

Ellen  decided  upon  employing-  Sam  Ross  to 
put  Erma  out  of  her  way.  One  dark  nig-ht, 
soon  after  the  incidents  described  in  our  last 
chapter,  Ellen  thickly  veiled  her  face,  threw  a 
large  shawl  about  herself  so  as  to  conceal  her 
form,  and  thus  attired,  made  her  way  to  a  sec- 
tion of  the  town  known  as  "Hell's  Half  Acre." 
This  settlement  contained  numerous  saloons,  all 
conducted  by  white  men  and  sustained  by  Ne- 
groes. 

Knowing  of  the  extraordinary  value  that  a 
certain  class  of  Negroes  attached  to  social  con- 
tact with  white  men,  some  white  saloon  keep- 
ers utilised  this  sentiment  to  foster  their  busi- 
ness. By  a  pat  on  the  shoulder,  a  friendly  tus- 
sle, an  exchange  of  jokes,  or  some  such  mark  of 


OVERSHADOWED*  193 

fellowship,  numbers  of  the  more  ignorant  Ne- -\ 
groes  were  held  in  bondage  to  these  resorts.  ^ 
Sam  Ross  was  one  of  these  victims,  and  Ellen 
is  on  her  way  to  his  favorite  resort  in  the  hope 
of  finding  him  there.  When  she  reaches  the 
place  she  opens  the  door  a  little  to  see  if  Sam  is 
in  there.  There  he  was  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor,  dancing  what  is  known  as  the  clog  dance, 
keeping  time  to  the  music  of  a  fiddle  in  the 
hands  of  another  Negro  perched  upon  an  empty 
whiskey  barrel  in  the  corner.  Sam's  dancing 
was  eliciting  much  applause  from  the  motley 
crowd  of  debauchees  who  were  present  in  great 
numbers. 

"Sam!"  called  Ellen. 

Sam  danced  around  until  he  faced  the  door, 
and  nodded  to  the  veiled  face  that  showed  itself 
therein. 

"  Sam,  I  would  like  to  see  you,"  said  Ellen. 

Much  to  the  delectation  of  the  spectators, 
Sam  danced  all  the  way  to  the  door,  performing- 
some  of  his  most  notable  feats.  Reaching  the 
door,  he  bowed  profoundly,  and  stepped  out, 
amid  shouts  of  approval  from  his  fellows, 

The  appearance  of  a  woman  for  Sam  did  not 
excite  any  unusual  attention,  such  occurrences 
in  the  case  of  others  being  very  frequent. 

"Sam,"  said  Ellen,  "come  with  me  ;  I  want 

you  to  do  me  a  kindness." 
13 


194  OVERSHADOWED. 

"  Is  that  you,  Ellen  !  Whut  on  earth  brung- 
you  here  ?  "  said  Sam  in  great  astonishment. 

"I  have  an  enemy,  Sam,  that  is  seeking"  to 
do  me  great  injury,  and  I  need  your  help." 

"All  right,  Ellen  ;  I'm  your  man.  I'll  kill 
any  nigger  that  does  you  harm,"  said  Sam. 

"  Don't  say  that,  Sam,  unless  you  mean  it," 
said  Ellen. 

"  Try  me,"  was  Sam's  laconic  response. 

"Well,    we'll    see.      Sam,    my   enemy   is  a 


woman.' 


"  A  woman  !  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  killing- 
a  woman,  but  if  you  say  so,  I'll  do  it.  I've 
done  many  a  shady  thing,  but  I  ain't  come  to 
that  yet." 

"  I  thought  you  would  back  out,  Sam." 

"Back  out!  who  said  I'd  back  out?  Not 
this  chap.  Of  course,  I'll  kill  the  gal  ;  but  a 
fellow  has  got  a  little  conscience,  and  has  to 
feel  bad  a  little  bit.  Who  is  she  ?  " 

"Come  with  me.  I  will  show  you  where 
she  lives,  and  stand  there  until  you  are  through. 
There  is  no  one  in  the  room  with  her,  and  you 
are  not  in  the  slightest  danger."  So  saying-, 
she  led  the  way  until  at  length  they  arrived  at 
Erma's  house.  After  assuring-  themselves 
that  there  was  no  one  else  near,  they  entered 
the  yard,  and  very  stealthily  approached  the 
window  to  Erma's  room. 


OVERSHADOWED.  195 

Sam  had  had  previous  experience  in  house- 
breaking-  and  soon  had  the  blinds  removed  and 
an  opening-  made  in  the  window.  He  noise- 
lessly clambered  into  Erma's  room,  having"  his 
long-,  keen  knife  in  his  hand.  The  lamp  was 
dimly  burning-  on  a  stand  near  the  head  of  the 
bed.  By  the  side  of  the  lamp  was  a  bouquet  of 
beautiful  flowers  which  Astral  had  given  Erma 
that  evening-,  and  which  she  had  placed  where 
she  could  see  them  in  the  nig-ht  if  she  should 
awake.  She  also  desired  that  they  should  be 
the  first  object  on  which  her  eyes  should  fall 
on  awaking-  the  next  day. 

Sam  drew  near  the  bed  with  uplifted 
knife. 

There  Erma  lay  in  all  her  beauty,  a  lovely 
smile  upon  her  face,  even  in  her  sleep.  Her 
hair  was  lying-  carelessly  about  her  brow,  and 
caused  her  to  present  the  appearance  of  wild 
loveliness. 

Sam  halted,  so  beautiful  was  the  imag-e  be- 
fore him.  His  arm  descended  to  his  side,  and 
he  continued  to  gaze.  He  said  to  himself,  "  If 
I  kill  that  girl,  it  will  have  to  be  wTith  my  eyes 
shut."  He  closes  his  eyes  and  creeps  closer  to 
the  bedside.  He  lifts  his  hand  again  to  strike, 
and  opens  his  eyes  to  note  the  spot  where  a 
blow  delivered  would  reach  her  heart.  Again 
Erma's  beauty  charms  him. 


196  OVERSHADOWED. 

Sam  mutters  to  himself,  "  Ellen  told  me  she 
wanted  me  to  kill  a  woman,  and,  dad  gum  it, 
this  is  an  angel."  So  saying,  he  turned  around 
and  got  back  out  of  the  window. 

"Is  she  dead  ?  "  asked  Ellen,  eagerly. 

"  Naw,  dad  gum  it,  she  ain't  dead.  And 
another  thing,  if  ever  any  harm  befalls  that 
girl,  I'll  tell  about  this  night's  work,  and  I'll 
kill  you  besides."  So  saying,  he  walked  away, 
carrying  in  his  mind  a  picture  of  the  beautiful 
Erma. 

Ellen,  thoroughly  dejected  and  full  of  fear 
as  to  the  revelations  that  Sam  might  make,  re- 
turned to  her  home. 

When,  some  weeks  later,  word  was  brought 
to  her  that  Erma  Wysong  had  passed  away,  and 
that  it  was  happy  Erma  Herndon  now  ;  when 
word  came  that  Astral  Herndon  had  declared 
himself  in  favor  of  building  a  monument  to  the 
skies  in  honor  of  Cupid  for  having  brought  him 
so  g'lorious  a  prize — when  these  facts  were 
brought  to  her  ladyship,  Ellen  Sanders,  she  re- 
membered Sam  Ross — and  said  nothing. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

NAME  THE  CHAPTER  AFTER  YOU  READ  IT. 

Eternity  has  clasped  a  few  more  of  her  romp- 
ing- children,  the  mad  galloping-  years,  to  her 
eag-er  bosom  since  you  last  gazed  upon  the 
countenances  of  the  principal  actors  in  our  little 
drama.  Winter,  the  frozen  love  of  God,  is  upon 
its  annual  visit  to  earth,  and  Astral  and  Erma 
Wysong-  Herndon  are  spending-  the  winter  eve 
in  their  cosy,  modestly  furnished  home  before 
a  grate  full  of  live,  glowing-  coals,  while  little 
Astral  Herndon,  Jr.,  a  pretty,  precocious  child  of 
seven  summers  is  astride  his  fond  papa's  knee, 
gazing  thoug-htfully  out  of  his  pretty  brown 
eyes  into  the  fire.  Erma,  yet  wearing-  black  for 
her  brother  John,  has  grown  more  beautiful 
with  the  years  and,  her  rounded,  matronly 
form  presents  fresh  beauties  to  Astral's  eyes 
each  time  he  looks  in  her  direction,  which  be  as- 
sured is  not  seldom.  She  is  now  holding  a 
book  before  her  face  and  is  supposed  to  be  read- 
ing, but  in  reality  she  is  furtively  watching 
her  boy,  and  notes,  with  a  heaving  bosom,  the 
manlike  sobriety  on  his  face. 

There  were    strang-e    experiences   connected 

with  the  birth  of  that   child.     It  was  on  this 

(197) 


198  OVERSHADOWED. 

wise :  When  Erma  knew  that  God  would 
bless  her  with  an  offspring  she  besought  As- 
tral to  allow  her  to  leave  Richmond  and  stay 
until  her  child  was  born.  She  asked  to  be  sep- 
arated from  him  and  from  the  world  until  God 
had  iutty  wrought  upon  the  human  being  whom 
he  was  shortly  to  introduce  into  the  world 
through  her.  The  volcanic  eruptions  that  had, 
from  time  to  time,  hurled  forth  their  smoke  and 
lava  upon  Erma's  soul,  had  left  huge  craters  in 
her  heart  so  deep  as  to  be  unfathomable  by 
means  of  mortal  measuring  lines  ;  so  wide  that 
human  ken  could  not  span  from  side  to  side. 
Astral  knew  and  felt  this  and  learned  to  look 
upon  his  wife  as  a  being  in  an  especial  sense  the 
handmaid  of  God.  So,  while  not  understand- 
ing the  full  meaning  of  Erma's  request,  he 
stood  ready  to  grant  it.  Erma,  escorted  by 
her  husband,  hied  away  to  the  mountains  of 
West  Virginia  and  took  up  her  abode  on  Nut- 
all's  Mountain.  Here  Astral  left  her,  to  spend 
those  great  days  with  the  plain  and  simple  folk 
of  the  mountain  fastnesses,  honest  and  sturdy 
and  fearless. 

At  the  foot  of  Nutall's  Mountain,  a  few  miles 
distant  from  the  crest,  lies  the  Kanawha 
River,  whose  waters  quarrel  as  they  tumble 
over  the  rocks  in  the  river  bed  on  their  way  to 
the  sea.  The  path  downward  from  the  moun- 


OVERSHADOWED.  199 

tain  crest  to  the  river,  followed  alongside  of 
a  deep  canyon,  that  wound  its  way  serpent- 
like  around  the  mountain  side,  piloting-  the 
mountain  streams  to  their  common  mother,  the 
Kanawha  River.  As  long1  as  health  would  per- 
mit, Erma  would  rise  in  the  morning',  just  be- 
fore daybreak,  and  descend  this  long-,  winding-, 
rocky  pathway  to  the  river,  delighting  to  look 
through  the  green  foliag*e  of  the  trees  rising-  up 
from  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  deep  gorge  men- 
tioned. Sometimes  she  would  sit  upon  a  huge 
boulder  near  at  hand,  and,  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  the  green  foliag-e,  drink  in  the  wild, 
untamed  beauty  of  the  mountains,  and  com- 
mune with  the  Spirit  of  recklessness  and  fury 
that  evidentl}7  makes  the  mountain  his  favorite 
resort.  Also,  at  nig-ht  time  Erma  would  steal 
forth,  and,  hunting-  the  hig-hest  mountain  peak, 
would  stand  and  look  by  the  light  of  the  moon 
from  silent,  sullen  range  to  silent  sullen  range, 
and  marvel  at  their  stillness.  At  these  times 
Erma's  soul  seemed  to  feel  the  magnetic  sweep 
of  the  queenly  moon  as  this  lovely  woman  of 
the  skies,  gathering  her  robes  about  her,  sped 
swiftly  but  noiselessly  along.  The  ears  of  her 
soul  caught  the  far-off  patter  of  the  footfalls  of 
the  tiny  stars  as  they  journeyed  silently  on  to 
God.  The  purpose  of  these  protracted  com- 
munings  with  the  sublime  side  of  nature,  Erma 


200  OVERSHADOWED. 

never  disclosed  to  mortal,  and  as  soon  as  Astral 
Herndon,  Jr.,  was  born  and  she  was  able  to 
travel,  she  yielded  herself  to  the  yearning-  arms 
of  her  husband,  who  was  now  present  to  carry 
her  home. 

Erma  watched  her  child  as  it  grew,  with 
more  than  a  mother's  interest  and  noticed  with 
eagerness  every  expression  upon  the  child's 
face  and  every  utterance  from  its  childish  lips. 
Astral  soon  discovered  this  preternatural  in- 
terest in  the  child  and  contented  himself  with 
watching-  Erma  while  she  watched  the  child. 
Thus  it  is  to-nig-ht :  the  child  g-azes,  Erma 
watches  it,  and  Astral  watches  Erma.  A 
fierce  snowstorm  is  rag-ing-  without.  The  mad 
heavens  seem  determined  to  whiten  the  black 
earth,  nothing-  daunted  that  all. previous  efforts 
in  that  direction  have  ended  in  the  slushy  mire  ; 
something*  of  the  fate  that  has  sometimes  atten- 
ded the  efforts  of  reformers  to  whiten  the  civic 
life  of  humanity.  The  winds,  seemingly,  would 
deter  the  snowflakes  from  their  fruitless  task 
of  whitening-  the  earth,  catching-  them  just  be- 
fore they  reached  the  ground  and  whirling-  them 
around  and  around  until  the  snowflakes,  nimbly 
twisting-  out  of  the  hands  of  the  wind,  fall  ex- 
hausted upon  the  earth  to  learn  from  experi- 
ence the  treatment  often  accorded  those  who 
would  do  g-ood.  The  snowstorm  continues,  the 


OVERSHADOWED.  201 

child  muses,  the  mother  watches.  Astral  is  an 
onlooker.  The  look  of  earnestness  on  the  child's 
brow  deepens  and  deepens,  and  Erma's  bosom 
heaves,  her  lips  move  as  if  in  prayer,  and  the 
book  trembles  in  her  hand.  By  and  by  the 
child  opens  its  lips  to  speak,  Erma  leans  for- 
ward, her  eyes  aglow  with  strange  fire.  As- 
tral feels  the  fever  rising  in  his  veins  and  some- 
how regards  himself  as  face  to  face  with  a  cri- 
sis in  two  souls.  He  realizes  that  soon  his  wife 
and  her  child  shall  stand  revealed  unto  each 
other,  and  a  feeling  of  awe  creeps  over  him. 

"  Papa,"  says  the  child,  **  what  do  you  want 
me  to  be  when  I  am  a  man  ?  " 

Astral  can  say  nothing.  Erma's  soul  is  in 
lier  eyes  and  her  heart  is  thumping  as  though 
it  would  come  out.  The  child  lifts  its  eyes  and 
gazes  at  the  burning  orbs  of  its  mamma.  In 
its  simple  way,  it  said,  quietly  : 

"  Mamma,  I  am  going  to  be  what  you  want 
me  to  be.  I  can  tell  that  that  is  what  you  are 
looking  at  me  so  for." 

With  a  scream  of  joy  Erma  sprang  over  to 
her  husband  and  clasped  her  boy  to  her  bosom, 
while  she  nestled  her  throbbing  temples  on  As- 
tral's  shoulder.  The  soul  of  the  mother  had 
met  that  of  the  child  and  each  had  discovered 
its  true  inward  self  to  the  other,  and  Erma  felt 
her  every  prayer  answered  and  her  every  wish 
attained. 


202  OVERSHADOWED. 

Erma  said,  "  Astral,  it  now  makes  no  differ- 
ence to  the  world  how  soon  I  leave  it  ;  and  God 
may  take  me  at  any  time." 

A  feeling-  of  terror,  that  caused  his  innermost 
soul  to  shudder,  stole  over  Astral  as  he  heard 
these  solemn  words  come  forth  from  Erma's 
lips — words  that  foreshadowed  her  untimely 
end.  Verily,  verily,  coming"  events  cast  their 
shadows  before  them. 

A  loud  knock  at  the  door,  succeeded  by  a  dull 
thud  as  of  a  falling*  body,  caused  Astral  and 
Erma  to  spring-  to  their  feet.  Taking  a  lamp 
in  his  hand,  Astral  went  out  into  the  hallway 
and  to  the  front  door.  He  opened  the  door  and 
a  g-ust  of  wind  blew  off  the  lamp  chimney  and 
put  out  the  lig-ht,  the  chimney  falling  to  the 
floor  and  breaking-.  Lighting-  a  lantern  he  saw 
the  form  of  a  man  half  buried  in  the  drift 
of  snow  before  his  door.  Astral,  being-  a  man 
of  considerable  streng-th,  stooped  down,  lifted 
the  man  into  his  arms  and  bore  him  into  the 
room  where  his  wife  and  child  stood  in  open- 
eyed  astonishment. 

The  man  was  unconscious  and  Astral  lay 
him  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  and  soug-ht  to  re- 
store him  to  consciousness.  The  man  had  on  a 
long-  rubber  ulster,  which  was  buttoned  from 
top  to  bottom.  This  Astral  unbuttoned  and 
made  the  exciting-  discovery  that  the  man  was 


OVERSHADOWED.  203 

dressed  in  the  striped  clothes  of  a  convict. 
This  drew  Erma  to  him,  and  she  now  aided  As- 
tral in  the  work  of  resuscitating  him.  At 
length  the  man  opened  his  eyes  and  languidly 
fastened  his  gaze  on  Erma,  who  experienced 
a  strange  thrill  as  she  looked  into  the  eyes 
of  this  nearly  frozen  convict.  The  longer  she 
looked,  the  more  and  more  her  feelings  be- 
gan to  assume  definite  form,  and  a  sensation  of 
terror  crept  over  her  until  she  had  to  get  up 
and  move  away.  The  eyes  of  the  convict 
followed  her  and  continued  to  affect  her 
strangely. 

Astral  did  not  take  note  of  his  wife's  discom- 
fiture. He  asked  the  man,  "  Where  did  you 
come  from  ?  " 

He  replied  in  husky  tones  "I  have  come 
from  Hell  and  am  going  to  Heaven."  The  man 
made  an  effort  to  rise  and  Astral  aided  him. 
He  asks,  "Is  that  your  wife  and  child?" 
Astral  nodded  assent. 

"Send  them  out  of  the  room  or  take  me  out, 
as  I  have  something  to  say  to  you." 

Erma  grasped  up  Astral  Herndon,  Jr.,  and 
went  up  stairs,  leaving  the  convict  to  talk  with 
her  husband.  But  a  deep  conviction  was  set- 
tling upon  her  mind  and  she  could  not  stay 
there.  She  put  her  boy  down  and  crept  down 
stairs,  drawn  by  an  indefinable  something  to 


204  OVERSHADOWED. 

the  room  where  the  convict  was.  She  did  not 
enter  but  paced  restlessly  to  and  fro  in  the  cold 
hallway. 

Soon  Astral  came  out  with  the  look  of  a  man 
thoroughly  dumfounded.  He  grasped  Erma  by 
the  hand  and  led  her  upstairs  to  her  bedroom. 
They  sit  down  and  stare  at  each  other.  As- 
tral does  not  know  how  to  break  the  news  to 
Erma.  At  length  he  says,  "Erma,  your 
brother  was  never  hanged.  He  is  downstairs 


now.' 


With  a  mad  leap  Erma  broke  out  of  the 
room,  rushed  downstairs,  crying,  "  John  ! 
John  !  !  John  !  !  !  "  When  she  neared  his  seat 
she  stopped  suddenly,  her  voice  ceased  abruptly. 
John's  head  lay  limp  upon  his  bosom,  for  his 
soul  had  forsaken  his  body.  Becalmed  by  a 
more  than  human  power,  Erma  knelt  before 
his  chair  in  which  sat  the  lifeless  form  and  pas- 
sionately kissed  the  mute  lips  that  had  passed 
under  the  ban  of  eternal  silence. 

"  Oh  !  "  she  gasped,  clapping-  a  hand  to  her 
heart.  She  attempted  to  rise,  but  fell  forward, 
her  head  finding  a  resting  place  on  her  dead 
brother's  knee.  Erma's  beautiful  eyelids  closed, 
opened  again  as  if  to  give  a  last  view,  and  then 
closed,  alas,  forever.  Her  heart  ceased  to  beat, 
and  her  soul  stole  noiselessly  out  of  her  body 
to  return  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  FUNERAL. 

Death,  the  subtle,  crafty,  relentless  foe  of 
human  life,  who  lurks  within  the  gloomy  shad- 
ows which  fringe  the  borderland  where  time 
fades  away  into  eternity ;  Death,  who,  burst- 
ing* from  his  sunless  home,  mouldy  with  the 
dew  of  darkness,  springs  upon  the  unwary  trav- 
eler, and  bears  him  swiftly  to  the  spirit  land— 
this  Death,  walking  with  ceaseless  tread  along 
his  dismal  pathway,  has  a  strange  and,  to  us, 
uncanny  taste  for  music.  When  he  has  borne 
his  victim  away,  he  returns  to  the  homes  of  the 
bereft,  wearing  a  mystic  veil,  plucks  with  wild 
abandon  at  the  heart  strings  of  the  sorrowing  ; 
and  with  avidity  and  in  ecstasy  drinks  in  the 
plaintive  notes,  the  time  beat  of  which  is  kept 
by  the  steady,  perpetual  fall  of  drops  of  blood 
from  the  heart.  However  terrible  the  wail, 
however  loud  the  cry,  it  is  but  sweet  music  to 
the  ear  of  death. 

But  surely,  surely,  soulless  Death,  for  once 
in  his  awful  journeyings,  had  even  his  unholy 
taste  for  the  music  of  agony  fully  satisfied,  as 
with  his  ear  to  Astral's  throbbing  heart  he 
drank  in  its  anguished  notes  and  heard  that 

(205) 


206  OVERSHADOWED. 

overburdened  thing1  of  grief  make  its  futile  at- 
tempts to  burst  through  the  walls  that  con- 
fined it.  Added  to  and  intensifying  his  feeling 
of  blighting  personal  loss,  his  soul  was  charged 
with  the  thought  that  fate  had  so  needlessly 
reared  a  ladder  to  the  unspotted  blue  of  his 
sky,  and  climbing  there,  had  fanned  out  the 
sun  of  his  firmament,  leaving  in  its  stead  the 
sombre  shadows,  the  inky  hues,  the  gruesome 
forms  of  the  dread  midnight. 

Stunned,  bewildered,  dazed,  Astral  cast  a 
look  of  anguish  upon  the  lifeless  form  of  Erma 
and  turned  away  petrified  with  sorrow.  He 
staggered  out  of  the  room  into  the  hallway  and 
to  the  door  opening  upon  the  street.  This  he 
managed  to  open,  and  stood  with  bared  head, 
facing  the  storm  and  welcoming  the  fury  of 
the  elements.  Motionless,  speechless,  gazing 
into  the  dark  abyss  beyond,  Astral  stood  as  if 
rooted  to  the  spot,  the  fury  of  the  skies  uncon- 
sciously affording  congenial  association  to  the 
wild  ragings  and  frozen  sorrows  within.  Sulk- 
ily the  night  rolled  onward.  The  snowstorm, 
as  if  grieved  to  longer  beat  upon  the  brow  of 
one  in  the  iron  grasp  of  fate,  gradually  ceased. 
A  hush  fell  upon  the  winds,  and  they  began  to 
speak  in  whispers,  afterwards  not  at  all. 

The  remaining  hours  of  the  night,  hearing  the 
ever  approaching  footfall  of  the  coming  dawn, 


OVERSHADOWED.  207 

leapt  over  the  bars  of  time  and  sank  into  eter- 
nity. The  dawn  came,  cold  and  cheerless. 
The  sun  struggled  from  behind  an  embank- 
ment of  clouds,  and  feebly  cast  a  few  sickly 
rays  of  ligfht  over  the  snow-covered  earth,  and, 
as  if  ashamed  of  the  feebleness  of  the  effort, 
quickly  lifted  the  clouds  to  again  hide  his  face. 
And  yet  Astral  stood  in  the  doorway,  as  mo- 
tionless as  a  stone  statue,  silent  as  the  Sphinx. 

An  officer  of  the  law,  clad  in  blue,  and  wear- 
ing the  insignia  of  his  office,  came  trudging 
along  on  his  way  to  his  "  beat."  When  he  came 
opposite  to  Astral,  he  cast  a  look  of  earnest 
inquiry  upon  the  snow-covered  man  in  the  door- 
way. The  gaze  of  the  policeman,  in  keeping 
with  the  well-known  hypnotic  influence  of  the 
human  eye,  had  its  effect  upon  Astral.  Sud- 
denly casting  his  eyes  upon  the  policeman,  As- 
tral sprang  toward  him,  grasping  him  by  the 
shoulder. 

"  Sir  !"  cried  he,  "  Enter  my  home  !  Enter,  I 
say,  and  see  the  havoc  which  living  side  by  side 
with  your  race  has  wrought  !  Enter,  enter,  I 
say!" 

The  startled  policeman  tried  to  extricate 
himself  from  Astral's  grasp,  but  he  continued 
to  drag  him  to  his  door.  The  policeman  drew 
his  pistol,  but  Astral  took  no  notice  of  this 
action. 


208  OVERSHADOWED. 

Perceiving  from  Astral's  repeated  exhorta- 
tions that  he  really  desired  him  to  see  something- 
and  intended  him  no  harm,  the  policeman  ceased 
resisting-  and  allowed  himself  to  be  pulled  to 
the  door  of  the  room  where  the  dead  lay.  When 
his  eye  fell  upon  the  rig-id  body  of  the  convict 
on  the  chair  and  beheld  the  form  of  the  beauti- 
ful Erma — -it,  too,  rig-id  in  death — in  terror  at 
the  sig-ht,  he  beg-an  to  struggle  to  g-et  out  of 
the  house.  Astral  seemed  equally  determined 
to  have  him  drink  in  the  horror  of  the  situation 
fully.  The  policeman,  now  completely  terror- 
stricken,  raised  the  cry  of  "  Murder  !  murder  !" 
and  struck  Astral  a  violent  blow  on  the  head. 
As  if  robbed  of  life,  Astral  fell  unconscious 
upon  the  floor.  The  noise  of  the  struggle,  and 
the  cries  of  the  policeman  drew  a  larg-e  crowd 
to  the  house.  News  of  the  trag-ic  scenes  en- 
acted in  that  little  home  spread  to  the  remotest 
quarters  of  the  city.  All  this  while  Astral  lay 
unconscious  on  the  floor.  Friends  now  bore  his 
body  to  his  room. 

A  coroner's  jury  was  summoned  and  an  in- 
quest was  held.  John  Wysong-'s  emaciated  ap- 
pearance soon  removed  all  doubt  as  to  what 
had  caused  his  death.  The  absence  of  all. 
marks  of  violence  upon  Erma,  the  calm,  sweet 
look  upon  her  face,  even  in  death,  predisposed 
the  jury  to  look  for  natural  causes  for  her  de- 


OVERSHADOWED.  209 

mise.  Before  entering"  upon  the  task  of  find- 
ing- the  cause  of  her  death,  they  all  stood  and 
gazed  long-  at  her  loveliness  and  a  hush  of  awe 
fell  upon  them.  When  at  length  the  doctor  had 
made  the  necessary  examination,  and  pro- 
nounced her  death  due  to  heart  failure,  the  jury 
filed  out.  Before  going,  each  juror  had  cast  a 
parting1  look  at  the  departed  queen  of  beauty, 
and  the  last  of  the  official  dealings  of  the  An- 
glo-Saxons with  Erma  were  over. 

Friends  of  Astral  now  took  charge  of  affairs 
and  began  to  arrange  for  the  interment,  he  be- 
ing- yet  unconscious.  Upon  his  recovery  from 
the  swoon,  he  was  wildly  delirious.  When 
made  aware  by  the  attending-  physician  that  a 
protracted  illness  was  likely  to  ensue  in  As- 
tral's  case,  friends  saw  that  it  was  unwise  to 
delay  the  funeral  services  and  interment  until 
he  could  attend. 

As  is  well  known  to  the  reader,  Erma  had  an 
unusually  large  number  of  friends  among-  the 
white  people  of  Richmond,  and  these  friends 
petitioned  that  an  opportunity  be  given  them  to 
publicly  manifest  their  esteem.  In  deference 
to  their  wishes,  the  funeral  services  were  held 
at  the  Tabernacle,  a  mammoth  structure  built 
for  interdenominational  use  and  for  union  gos- 
pel meetings.  White  and  colored  people  by 
the  thousands  flocked  to  the  Tabernacle  to  wit- 

14 


210  OVERSHADOWED. 

ness  the  exercises  over  the  remains  of  Ernia. 
The  services  proceeded  in  the  usual  way,  trib- 
utes of  the  very  highest  nature  being*  paid  to 
the  character  of  the  deceased.  Resolutions  of 
respect,  signed  by  one  hundred  of  Richmond's 
truest  white  women,  were  read,  extolling  the 
name  of  Erma  Wysong  Herndon. 

The  last  words  had  been  said,  the  organ  was 
playing  the  final  funeral  march,  the  pall-bearers 
were  half-way  down  the  aisle  bearing  the  coffin 
to  the  hearse,  when,  lo,  a  loud,  commanding 
voice  cried,  "  Halt,"  and  the  tall  form  of  Astral 
was  seen  standing  in  the  doorway.  ''Bear 
that  coffin  back  to  the  front,  gentlemen,"  said 
he,  and  with  icy  clearness.  All  recognized  his 
rights  in  the  matter,  and  the  coffin  was  borne 
to  the  front  again.  Astral,  wild-eyed,  fresh 
from  a  bed  of  affliction,  followed  with  head 
bowed  and  with  measured  tread,  mechanically 
performed.  Taking  a  position  in  full  view  of 
the  entire  audience,  he  spoke  as  follows,  in  a 
clear,  calm  manner,  but  with  a  calmness  ev- 
idently produced  by  the  suppression  of  powerful 
emotions  : 

"Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :  On  such  an  occasion 
as  this,  only  the  language  of  the  heart  should  be 
heard,  and  it  is  my  purpose  to  deliver  to  you  a 
message  from  my  innermost  self.  First  of  all,  I 
wish  to  give  audible  expression  to  the  thankful- 


OVERSHADOWED.  211 

ness  that  I  feel  over  the  tribute  of  respect  paid 
to  my  deceased  wife  by  this  vast  outpouring*  of 
citizens  of  both  races. 

4 'It  is  your  purpose,  I  perceive,  to  bear  her 
remains  to  your  cemetery,  where  her  body  will 
obey  the  summons  of  nature  to  return  unto  the 
dust  whence  it  came.  Before  I  can  give  my  sanc- 
tion to  this  step,  there  is  a  question  that  must 
be  disposed  of  in  a  thoroughly  satisfactory 
manner.  Erma  Wysong  Herndon  was  brilliant 
and  true  as  a  girl,  devoted  and  worthy  as  a 
wife  and  mother,  seeking  to  alter  none  of  your 
cherished  customs,  aspiring  ever  and  only  to 
live  out  that  life  which  her  soul  taught  her  to 
be  the  best.  Yet  she  suffered  countless  ills. 
Her  heart,  unable  longer  to  bear  the  strain, 
gave  up  the  struggle  and  ceased  its  pulsations 
while  her  feet  were  yet  treading  that  portion 
of  life's  pathway  that  lies  within  the  summer 
of  man's  existence.  I  utter  not  these  words  by 
way  of  reproach,  believe  me.  I  but  recall  facts 
well  knowrn  by  you  to  be  such,  that  you  may 
grasp  the  full  purport  of  what  I  am  now  to  lay 
before  you. 

*  You  now  desire  that  her  body  shall  go  to 
enrich  this  soil.  Should  I  allow  you  to  proceed, 
will  this  land  which  her  dust  would  help  to 
compose — will  this  land  render  to  the  son  of 
another  mother  more  than  it  will  to  the  son 


212  OVERSHADOWED. 

that  she  leaves  behind,  though  the  two  be 
equal  in  virtue,  in  intelligence,  in  thrift,  in  all 
that  goes  to  comprise  vigorous  and  aggressive 
manhood  ?  I  pause  for  an  answer." 

The  silence  was  oppressive.  Astral  re- 
sumed :  "  By  your  silence  I  understand  that 
you  are  unable  to  assure  me  that  her  son  shall 
not  be  confronted  with  the  same  unequal  con- 
ditions that  she  so  often  encountered.  Under 
these  circumstances,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  as 
much  as  I  love  this  land,  I  must  refuse  to  allow 
my  wife  to  be  interred  therein.  I  bid  it  an 
eternal  farewell." 

He  ceased  speaking,  and,  strong  man  that  he 
was,  fell  upon  Erma's  coffin,  his  face  buried  in 
his  hands.  One  mighty  sob  forced  its  way 
through  the  bars  that  held  the  others  back. 
Making  a  supreme  effort  at  self-control,  he 
arose  and  gave  notice  to  proceed.  The  pall- 
bearers lifted  their  burden  again  and  moved 
slowly  out  of  the  building,  followed  by  Astral 
and  his  son. 

The  great  audience  continued  in  silence,  so- 
berly pondering  over  the  strange  and  solemn 
scenes.  When  the  hearse  had  been  driven  off, 
and  the  sound  of  the  hoofs  of  the  horses  had 
died  away  in  the  distance,  the  people  arose  and 
silently  left  the  building,  departing  to  their 
several  homes. 


OVERSHADOWED.  213 

Twilight  had  come,  and  the  dusk  of  the 
evening'  soon  enveloped  the  city,  drawing" 
closer  and  closer  the  curtains  of  nig-ht. 

That  nig-ht,  Astral,  watched  by  the  blinking- 
stars,  exhumed  the  body  of  John  Wysong-,  and 
carried  it  to  his  home,  placing-  it  by  the  side  of 
Erma.  With  the  room  dimly  lighted,  Astral 
took  a  seat  between  the  two  coffins,  to  await 
the  coming-  of  day.  In  the  middle  of  the  nig-ht, 
he  heard  a  tapping-  at  the  window  shutters  of 
the  room  in  which  he  sat,  keeping-  company  with 
the  dead.  He  arose,  opened  the  window,  and 
bade  the  party  tapping-  to  enter.  The  invita- 
tion was  accepted,  and  in  stepped  a  larg*e,  tall 
white  man,  of  very  commanding-  aspect. 

"  As  I  expected,"  the  man  remarked  in  a  low 
tone.  Aloud,  to  Astral,  he  said  :  "  Mr.  Hern- 
don,  you  are  not  acquainted  with  me,  but  your 
wife  was.  At  one  time  she  committed  a  very 
grave  trust  to  me,  and  I  was  faithful  thereto, 
but  under  such  circumstances  that  I  dared  not 
to  g-ive  an  account  of  my  stewardship.  Will 
you  let  me  see  the  face  of  this  dead  man  whom 
you  have  by  her  side  ?"  Astral  assented,  and 
Lanier,  for  it  was  he,  stepped  to  the  side  of  the 
coffin  and  g-azed  long-  at  the  features  before 
him.  He  said  to  himself,  as  he  continued  to 
look  :  "  Yes,  yes,  yes  ;  that  is  John.  I  cannot 
be  mistaken.  One  more  secret  that  by  his  death 


214  OVERSHADOWED. 

is  now  assuredly  reserved  for  the  Day  of  Judg- 
ment." Heaving*  a  sigh  of  relief,  he  turned 
away  and  dropped  into  a  chair. 

Astral  had  resumed  his  post  between  the 
dead.  Ivanier  now  addressed  him. 

4 'Mr.  Herndon,  this  is  indeed  an  ill-chosen 
occasion  on  which  to  approach  you  on  a  sub- 
ject uppermost  in  my  mind.  Yet,  I  must  do  so 
now,  if  at  all  ;  for  it  is  with  a  view  of  prevent- 
ing an  action  that  you  contemplate  in  the  near 
future.  You  propose  leaving  us,  I  learned  at 
the  funeral  to-day." 

''Your  impression  is  correct,"  was  Astral's 
response. 

"  For  the  sake  of  your  wife's  son,  hear  me 
for  a  moment,"  L/anier  requested. 

"Proceed.  I  shall  give  you  such  attention 
as  is  possible  for  a  man  in  my  situation,"  As- 
tral replied. 

44  Mr.  Herndon,  with  all  its  faults,  this  coun- 
try is  by  far  the  greatest  on  earth.  You  are 
not  now  in  a  condition  to  decide  upon  a  matter 
involving  your  future  and  the  whole  life  of  your 
child.  I,  therefore,  make  a  personal  appeal  to 
3^ou  to  abide  here  and  flee  not  to  ills  that  are 
certainly  worse."  Here  he  paused,  but  as  As- 
tral gave  no  reply  he  resumed. 

"Your  status  here  is  but  due  to  conditions  in- 
herent in  the  situation.  Why  not  bow  to  the 


OVERSHADOWED.  215 

inevitable,  accept  conditions  as  you  find  them, 
extract  from  life  as  much  g-ood  as  can  come 
from  well-directed  efforts,  and  beyond  this 
point  have  no  yearnings  ?  Develop  charac- 
ter, earn  money,  contribute  to  the  industrial 
development  of  the  country,  exercise  your  won- 
derful capacity  for  humility,  move  continu- 
ously in  the  line  of  least  resistance  and,  some- 
how, all  will  be  well." 

Astral  now  lifted  his  head  and,  gazing  ear- 
nestly at  Lauier,  said  ; 

"I  am  very  grateful  to  you,  kind  sir,  for 
your  solicitude.  One  of  the  most  oppressive  of 
the  'conditions,  inherent  in  the  situation/  you 
say,  is  the  fact  that  one  must  ever  be  listening1 
to  a  sermon  on  his  condition.  We  cannot  be 
glided  by  the  lig'ht  of  our  own  genius,  but  are 
the  subjects  of  unending*  advice.  The  absence 
of  the  rig^ht  of  choice — a  rig"ht  which  your  pres- 
ence here  to-nig*ht  denies — is  irksome,  so  irk- 
some. 

**  You,  kind  sir,  have  solved  the  problem  of 
life  to  your  own  satisfaction  ;  let  me  do  the  like, 
will  you,  especially  when  I  seek  not  to  alter 
your  conditions  but  to  abandon  them  ?  With- 
out the  least  purpose  or  desire  to  be  discour- 
teous, may  I  regard  our  interview  at  a  close  ?  " 
Astral's  very  soul  was  in  these  words  and  were 
delivered  in  such  a  manner  as  to  startle  Lanier 
into  greater  admiration. 


216  OVERSHADOWED. 

"No,  sir,  Mr.  Herndon,  not  until  I  state  that 
your  remarks  have  won  my  most  profound  re- 
spect. I  appreciate  the  desire  of  your  soul  for 
silence,  which,  in  your  case,  amounts  to  a  need. 
I  abandon  the  purpose  of  my  visit.  In  what- 
ever direction  you  may  go,  my  good-will  follows 
you,"  Ivanier  said  most  feelingly.  So  saying", 
he  arose,  extended  to  Astral  his  hand  and  bade 
him  a  cordial  adieu. 

Astral  resumed  his  solitar}^  watch  with  his 
dead.  When  day  came,  he  began  his  projected 
journey,  accompained  by  his  son  and  the  bodies 
of  his  wife  and  her  brother.  He  went  to  New 
York,  with  the  purpose  of  boarding  an  outward 
bound  vessel. 

"Are  you  returning  to  your  fatherland?" 
anxious  friends,  gathered  at  the  pier,  in- 
quired. 

Astral  replied,  "It,  too,  is  overshadowed. 
Aliens  possess  it." 

"Where,  then,  are  you  going  ?"  Astral  faintly 
smiled  as  if  in  farewell,  but  gave  no  reply.  He 
hurried  aboard  the  vessel  and  was  soon  speed- 
ing away  from  the  land  of  his  birth. 

When  in  mid-ocean,  he  summoned  his  fellow 
passengers  about  him  to  participate  in  a  burial 
service.  The  caskets  containing-  the  remains 
of  the  two  departed  were  gently  lowered  into 
the  depths  of  the  ocean  and  committed  to  the 
keeping  of  the  waves. 


OVERSHADOWED.  217 

Astral  then  stationed  his  son  upon  a  chair  in 
the  center  of  the  deck  of  the  ship,  and,  standing- 
by  his  side,  with  solemn  mien  and  head  uncov- 
ered, made  the  following-  deliverance  in  the 
presence  of  the  assembled  passeng-ers,  who  had 
heard  previously  from  his  lips  the  story  of 
Erma's  life: 

"  My  son,"  said  he,  "your  mother  has  been 
buried  in  these  domains,  because  here  there 
abides  no  social  group  in  which  conditions 
operate  toward  the  overshadowing-  of  such 
elements  as  are  not  deemed  assimilable.  And 
now,  I,  Astral  Herndon,  hereby  and  forever 
renounce  all  citizenship  in  all  lands  whatsoever, 
and  constitute  myself  A  CITIZEN  OF  THE 
OCEAN,  and  ordain  that  this  title  shall  be  en- 
tailed upon  my  progeny  unto  all  generations, 
until  such  time  as  the  shadows  which  now 
envelope  the  darker  races  in  all  lands  shall 
have  passed  away,  away  and  away  !  " 


EPILOGUE. 

A   LAY    TO  THE   COMING   KING. 

Erma  is  dead,  and  disconsolate  Astral  is 
adrift  upon  the  ocean. 

We  who  have  followed  their  fortunes,  lo, 
these  many  days,  are  loth  to  leave  them  until 
our  minds  can  fasten  on  some  circumstance 


218  OVERSHADOWED. 

external  to  our  being-,  to  confirm  the  thought 
that  perennially  rises  within  and  bids  us  be- 
lieve that  their  lives  have  not  been  spent  in 
vain  ;  that  "  somehow  good  will  be  the  final 
goal  of  ill." 

Those  who  seek  for  assurance  of  this  hope 
would  do  well  to  recall  the  romantic  circum- 
stances attendant  upon  the  birth  of  Erma's 
son ;  recall  how  that  on  the  last  night  of 
Erma's  abode  on  earth  the  spirits  of  the  mother 
and  son  went  forth  to  meet  and  stand  revealed 
unto  each  other. 

These  circumstances  are  pregnant  with  hope 
and  kindle  within  one  the  spirit  of  prophecy. 

The  spell  is  upon  us  !  We  don  the  garb  of 
the  seer,  wrest  the  veil  from  the  face  of  the 
future  and  read  in  her  countenance  tokens  of 
the  irrevocable  decrees  written  by  her  in  the 
book  of  fate. 

We  behold  that  she  hath  decreed  that  Astral 
Herndon,  Jr.,  shall  not  long  abide  on  the  ocean; 
that  he  shall,  ere  long,  make  a  landing  and 
give  evidence  that  the  mountain-imbued  son  of 
a  handmaid  of  God  is  a  genius — one  of  those 
few  colossal,  immeasurable  spirits  that  have 
been  permitted,  from  time  to  time,  to  dwell 
among  men  for  a  season  ;  whose  presence  is 
made  manifest  through  the  trembling  of  the 
frail  earth  beneath  their  ponderous  tread. 


OVERSHADOWED.  219 

Under  the  influences  which  this  child  of  des- 
tiny shall  generate,  the  Negro  shall  emerge 
from  his  centuries  of  gloom,  with  a  hope-em- 
blazoned brow,  a  heart  freighted  with  courage, 
and  a  chisel  in  his  hand  to  carve,  whether  you 
will  or  not,  his  name  in  the  hall  of  fame. 

4 'Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  this  generation 
shall  not  pass,  till  all  these  things  be  done." 

In  this  hope  we  calmly  abide  the  coming  of 
Erma's  son,  Astral  Herndon,  Jr.  In  that  day, 
pleasing  thought,  Erma  shall  live  again  in  the 
wondrous  workings  of  the  child  whom  she  has 
brought  to  earth.  All  hail  to  Erma  ! 

THE  END. 


PS3S/3 

OT 


